Iron Angel
by WWWLover
Summary: An AU story. Rated T, just in case. Alex is just your normal, average 18-year-old girl...except for the fact that her father is the infamous Tony Stark. Being a billionaire superhero's daughter is quite a job. Can she handle it? Please Read and Review!
1. Introducing Miss Alexandra Stark

"Iron Angel"

Based on the "Iron Man" Movies

_Alex's Diary: Entry One_

_The meaning of the word "overprotective" I think has been etched into my mind, never to be forgotten for as long as I live. _

_I love my father. He is one of the greatest father's a girl could ever have. He gives me anything I ask for – no matter the expense – he makes sure I have the best education possible (even though I am a genius like him, I still want friends. So, I go to school. Call me weird, but I need a life) and he always makes time out of his overly busy schedule to be with me…I hope that you, dear diary, noticed the sarcasm in that statement._

_My father has way too much time to be with me._

_Not that I am complaining about hanging out with my father. I'm not. We have fun together. But, ever since the accident, it's been 24/7 Dad time. _

_The accident…I don't even want to know how it happened, but it did. It's not like I'm dying or anything…ok, I was for a couple months, but that's not the point. The point is that I am fine now, thanks to Dad._

_I simply got into a car accident. That was it. I was with a friend and a drunk driver slammed into us and ran us off the road. Ok, so it was more than that. The car was run off the highway and plunged many, many feet down into the ground below. Let me make it completely clear that my friend and I were driving on our side of the road and that we were going by the speed limit. We are very good drivers. How my friend and I survived, I still don't understand. But, we both believe I owe my survival to my father. _

_Because of the accident, I no longer have use of pretty much every muscle in my body. The accident seriously damaged my spine and left me paralyzed. The only reason I am even able to write in this diary is because of Dad and his technologies. He and some of the world's best doctors were able to invent a device that is able to stimulate the nerves in my muscles to move again. So, as long as I keep the device sticking into my spine, I am just as I was before. I call the device "Mr. Un-Freeze". You know, because Mr. Freeze was a cartoon character that froze things and the device un-freezes my muscles so that I can move…still don't get it? God, really? Well, go look him up. It's really simple to put in too. All I have to do is stick the high-powered needle into my back and I'm good to go. But, I've been told, if it ever comes out…I could be in very big trouble. Dad and the doctors said that, if it ever comes out, I would be completely paralyzed again within a half an hour. Never do I want that to happen._

_On top of that, I was born with asthma. The paparazzi always seem to get a field day out of me and my problems. They believe my father is invincible, how he made me – a girl with so many problems – they don't seem to understand. But, as long as I take my inhaler twice a day and whenever I feel an attack coming on, I'm fine. I'm still just a normal 18-year-old girl…despite my spine injury and asthma…_

* * *

Alex sighed as she paused in her writing and looked out her bedroom window. The sun was shining, a breeze blowing. It was what she considered a perfect day. And, on top of that, she was home alone. Well, Jarvis was there, but other than that no other human was in the house. That hadn't happened since the accident. After coming home from the hospital, Alex's father put her under a constant watch. Though she could never see them, Alex knew that bodyguards were following her at school as well.

She knew that her father meant well, but it was really getting on her nerves. But, being the daughter of a billionaire had its downfalls as well as its perks. Being Tony Stark's daughter was a completely different story. Her father was one of the most famous men in the world…or so she heard.

"Alexandra, your father and Miss. Potts have just pulled into the driveway"

It was fun while it lasted.

"Thank you, Jarvis" Alex said as she closed her diary and put her pen down "Shall I go greet them or will you?"

"I will, if you wish, Alexandra"

"I was kidding, Jarvis" she said, laughing as she stood and headed down to meet her father and Pepper. "And, you can call me Alex"

"Alexandra, you know how hard it is for me to call you just by your name!" Jarvis said "Let alone nicknames"

"Well, keep trying" she said "I have faith in you, Jarvis. I know you can do it"

Alex quickly went down the stairs and smiled when she saw her father and Pepper in the kitchen. "So, whatcha doing?"

Tony Stark turned and smiled brightly at his daughter. "Alex! We were just talking about the party tonight"

"Party?" Alex said, confused "What party?"

"The awards ceremony tonight" Pepper Potts replied. She looked at Alex as a mother would look at a daughter. "Did you forget, Alex? I thought I told you to write it down…"

"Me? Forget?" Alex said, innocently. She pointed at her head "Pepper, this mind does not forget anything"

"Then why am I sending you to school?" Tony asked, with a smile as he walked up to his daughter and put his arm around her

"Alright, I need friends" Alex replied, almost rolling her eyes although she was smiling "I need a life"

"Well, fortunately for you Alex, I made sure that a dress was prepared for you" Pepper replied as Tony laughed "It should be in your closet"

"Oh, she is good" Alex said as she pointed at Pepper and turned to go back and see which dress Pepper had picked "Don't let this one go, Dad. I like her"

"Your wish is my command, Princess" Tony yelled after her. He turned back to Pepper. "Which one did you pick?"

Pepper sighed a little. "A low cut one…"

"Pepper!"

"I'm sorry, Tony. But, Alex loves her low cut dresses. Before the accident, you wouldn't care whether or not she wore them. In fact, one time you told me you loved seeing her wear them because it made her look even more beautiful than she already is"

"That was before the accident" Tony said, turning away from his secretary "I don't want anyone seeing Alex's…device. I don't want anyone to bring it up and cause her to re-live horrible times"

"Do you not want that to happen to Alex? Or yourself?"

Tony turned back to Pepper. She couldn't help but notice the pain in his eyes. She knew that it was he who didn't want to be reminded about the night he almost lost his daughter…his world…

"That night haunts me more than anything else I have experienced in my entire life" Tony said, with a somewhat shaky voice that almost caught Pepper off guard "You remember that night, don't you?"

Pepper nodded. "I don't think I would be able to forget"

* * *

_It wasn't too late at night. Only about 10:00, maybe a little later. But, Tony was still waiting for Alex to come home from her movie night with her friend. Who did she go with again? Richelle? Tony was horrible when it came to names, not just of Alex's friends but other people as well. The main point was that he trusted Richelle, he trusted all of Alex's friends. He knew they wouldn't do something stupid._

_"Jarvis, any sign of her?"_

_"Negative, sir" Jarvis replied "But, I'm sure Alexandra is on her way home right now"_

_It was then that the phone rang. Tony turned to go and answer it when he saw Pepper pick up the phone. Why was she still here? Oh, that's right. He had asked her to stay so they could finalize plans for the benefit he was hosting a few days later. He thought nothing of the call until he heard the phone crash to the floor. His head shot up to find a pale Pepper breathing heavily and shaking._

_"Pepper?" he said, rushing over to her "Pepper? What is it? What's wrong?"_

_"It's Alex…"_

_Fear shot through Tony's body. "Alex? What about Alex? What happened?"_

_Pepper turned tear filled eyes towards her boss. "They want you to come and identify her body…"_

_Tony was out of the house and racing towards the site of the crash faster than any human could possibly move. His car came to a screeching halt when he saw the lights on the ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. As soon as the car stopped, he was out and rushing towards the people gathered. He found the parents of Richelle standing huddled with their daughter, trying to comfort her to the best of their ability._

_Tony slowed when he saw that Alex was nowhere to be found. Alexia Reagan looked up at him. "Oh, Tony" she said, as Richelle turned towards Tony "Thank God you're here!"_

_Tony just nodded. "What happened here?"_

_"Goddamn drunk driver" Camden Reagan replied "The girls weren't doing anything wrong. They were going the speed limit, driving on their side of the road. Both of them had seatbelts on…but some drunken bastard crashed into them and sent them over the edge of the cliff"_

_Tony's gaze shot to Camden and Alexia. "Over a cliff?"_

_Richelle Reagan continued to cry. "Alex was the one who was driving" she sobbed "When she saw the driver coming towards us, she commanded me to jump out of the car. I didn't want to, but Alex gave me no choice. She pushed me out of the car. Once I got on the ground, I watched as Alex made a sharp turn, to try and get out of the way. But, instead she drove herself off of the cliff"_

_Alexia nodded as she started to cry. "Alex is being moved onto a stretcher right now" she said "She-"_

_Before she could finish, Tony was bolting towards the cliff. He started breathing heavily when he saw the EMT's bring the very limp body of his daughter out of the wreck, onto a stretcher, and up to the top of the cliff. The minute the stretcher touched the ground, Tony was by Alex's side._

_"Alex…Alex, speak to me!" Tony pleaded_

_"It would be a miracle if she did, sir" the EMT said "It would be a miracle if she did anything ever again"_

_Tony looked at the EMT and then back at his daughter. "What do you mean?"_

_"Her injuries are severe, sir" he replied "I'm no expert, but it doesn't look good"_

_Tony's eyes filled with tears as he smoothed the hair out of Alex's face. She had blood all over her, from cuts and scratches all over her body. She was just barely breathing. So slow was her breathing that Tony almost thought she wasn't breathing at all…_

* * *

"But, Alex is doing fine now" Pepper said "The device in her spine is helping her do everything she did before"

"I know, but…" Tony stopped when Alex came back downstairs.

"What time are we leaving?" Alex asked

"Oh, I don't know" Pepper said, smiling "Whenever your father decides to show up"

"I'll say…8:00" Tony replied "Sound good?"

"Whatever you say" Alex replied "You are the honoree"

Tony watched as Alex went back up the stairs, taking the stairs two at a time. His eyes never left the glowing purple square in the middle of her back. Pepper put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you worry for her" she said "But, she'll be fine. If she can make it through this, she can make it through anything"

* * *

_**Alright, this is my first attempt at a Iron Man fanfic, so please be kind in your reviews. :)**_

**_I tried to keep the characters as in character as I possibly could. I will continue to do that throughout the story. If a chapter will be majorly OOC, I will warn you. :)_**

**_I hope you like this first chapter!_**

**_Please Read and Review!_**


	2. The Apogee Awards

_Alex's Diary: Entry Two_

_They were talking about it again._

_I don't have to be a genius to figure out that my father is still worried about me, as I said in the previous entry. Me personally, I try not to think about it. But, I can't deny the fact that every time I get into a car I hold on for dear life. But, Dad doesn't have to know that, right? _

_Pepper picked my low cut purple dress for me. It actually matches Mr. Un-Freeze. Where did she get it? Oh, I'm sure that it was from one of the big names. Don't ask me which ones. I may have a rich father, but unlike the other girls with my lifestyle, I don't care about name brands. As long as something is comfortable or looks good on me, the name doesn't matter._

_$20 bucks says that Dad misses getting his award. $100 bucks says I'll be greeting a new one-nighter in a shirt of his tomorrow morning when I get up. _

* * *

The pre-ceremony cocktails had already begun before the Stark limo had rolled up to the entrance of Caesar's Palace. The paparazzi seemed to come to life when they noticed whose limo it was that had pulled up before them.

"Alex, you still have the chance to go home" Tony said "You don't have to sit through this"

"And give the press disappointment?" Alex said, with a sly smile "I wouldn't dream of it"

"Alex, this is your first public appearance since the accident" Tony said "They will hound you with questions"

"I'll be fine" Alex said "Besides, it's your night. They'll want to talk to you"

"Alex…"

"Just go and put on your playboy act" Alex said "Don't let them see you as a worried father, it will ruin your image"

Tony laughed. "You know me way too well" he said as he opened the door and got out of the limo

"I should" she replied, following "I'm your daughter"

Just as Tony had predicted, the press had a field day when they saw Alex step out of the limo. The cameras started flashing as Tony carefully led his daughter past the paparazzi and towards the entrance as reporters shouted out questions left and right.

_"Miss. Stark, how are you feeling?"_

_"What's the device in your back?"_

_"How is it that you survived the accident?" _

Alex just smiled politely as Tony ushered her into the building, his bodyguards close behind to catch any reporters who dared try and get up close and personal with her.

"Now" Tony said, once they made it past the paparazzi "You go find Obadiah and our table. I'll go and play in the casino"

"Alright" Alex said, as Tony began walking away, his bodyguards following "$20 bucks says that you'll miss the ceremony"

"This time, I'll prove you wrong" Tony replied, turning to look at her one last time before entering the casino

Alex smiled and shook her head as she began walking towards the room the ceremony was being held in. "I'm going to be $20 bucks richer by tomorrow morning"

"Miss. Stark!"

Alex stopped short and turned to find a young woman standing before her. She was pretty, with blond hair and blue eyes. Alex resisted rolling her eyes when she noticed that she was a reporter.

"Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair. Just want to ask you a couple of questions"

"Pertaining to?"

"Your accident" she replied "How you were able to survive such a crash"

"Fate?" Alex said "You'll have to ask my doctors, not me"

"They didn't tell you?"

"Why would I want to know how?" Alex replied "All I want to know is how to keep myself alive until I die when I am old and at peace. I don't care how I did it"

"I couldn't help but notice the device in your back…"

"Let me stop you here" Alex said "Look, I don't want to be rude. But, this is my father's night. Not mine. Go and ask him some questions. If you don't mind, I have no comment"

"The world wants to know about you, Miss. Stark" Christine replied, stopping Alex as she tried to walk away "Not only are you the heir to the Stark fortune but you were miraculously spared a terrible fate. The people want to know how you did it"

"God" Alex replied, her expression un-changing, as she turned back to Christine "God was the one who saved me. Happy now?"

She took a few steps closer to Christine and whispered into the recordable device she was holding. Her voice sounded cold, angry almost. "$100 bucks says I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning"

Alex turned and walked into the room where the ceremony was being held, leaving Christine embarrassed at what Alex had just said about her.

"That was pretty smooth, Alex. I have to give you credit"

Alex smiled when she heard Rhodey's voice. "I've had a lot of practice, Rhodey" she replied "You giving a speech or something?"

"Giving your father the award actually" Lt. Col. James Rhodes replied as he led Alex to their table, where Obadiah was sitting "Should he show up"

"Oh, I'm sure he will" she said "When pigs fly"

Rhodey laughed as he pulled out a chair for Alex, which caught Obadiah's attention.

"Alex!" Obadiah Stane said, as the teenager sat down "What are you doing here?"

"Attending an award ceremony for my father" Alex replied "And you?"'

Obadiah laughed. "The same" he said "How are you feeling?"

"Better" Alex replied "Still getting used to the changes, but better"

"That's because Alex is a trooper" Rhodey said, sitting down next to her "Always has been, always will be"

"Well, we can't forget who she is, now can we?" Obadiah said, winking at the teenager

"I really am stealing the spotlight, aren't I?" Alex laughed

"And, why shouldn't you?" Obadiah asked "The young and beautiful daughter of Tony Stark is a great position to hold. Many girls envy you for that, you know"

Alex smiled as the lights dimmed. "Well, thank you" she said "I appreciate the compliments"

"That's my cue" Rhodey said, standing as the room was plunged into semi-darkness "Will I be seeing you on stage, Alex?"

"Most likely" she replied, scanning the room for any sign of her father "I bet $20 bucks on it"

* * *

The slideshow that had been put together in honor of Tony was quite touching, or so Alex thought. She enjoyed hearing the stories about her father all over again. Not that she had heard them a ton of times, just once in a while from reporters when they were interviewing Tony. But, this was the first time she had heard the stories since the accident. In fact, this was the first time she had been out of the Stark Mansion since the accident. Tomorrow was the first day she would see her friends and go to school.

God, she was not looking forward to that. Everyone would surround her and ask her a million questions. Plus, on top of that, Tony was due to go to Afghanistan with Rhodey for a weapons demonstration. This meant that it would be just her, Jarvis, and Pepper when she got home from school. Not that she hated spending time with Jarvis and Pepper – she absolutely loved it – but, she would have liked for Tony to be there when she got back from her day from hell.

"It is my honor to present this year's Apogee Award to Mr. Tony Stark!"**

Rhodey's words and the sound of clapping and music around her brought Alex out of her thoughts. And, just as she predicted, Tony was nowhere to be found. Obadiah began to stand, to accept the award in Tony's place, when Alex brought out her hand and stopped him.

"I got this one" she said, with a smile "You always get them. It's my turn to let you take a break"

Obadiah smiled and laughed as Alex stood and made her way towards the stage. Rhodey smiled and spoke into the microphone.

"And, accepting the award in her father's place, is Miss. Alexandra Stark!"

The crowd continued to clap and some even cheered a little as Alex made it onto the stage. She smiled and hugged Rhodey.

"How much money?"

Alex chuckled. "$20 for the award, $100 for having a new one-nighter"

"Does he know about the $100?" Rhodey asked, with a smile

"Not yet" Alex winked.

Rhodey laughed and started to clap when Alex turned to the podium and began to speak.

"As you all should have realized, I am not my father" she began, with chuckles from the crowd "But, I can say that if he were here accepting this lovely award, he would tell you how honored he is that he would receive an award of this much prominence"

She looked at the award for a moment before looking back at the crowd. "This one's going on the mantle, I promise"

The crowd laughed as the music played again and Alex and Rhodey both exited the stage. She turned and handed the award to him. "Shall we go find him?"

Rhodey took the award and nodded. "We might as well"

Alex sighed and shook her head, with a small smile on her face, as she and Rhodey walked off to find Tony.

* * *

"That would be $20 bucks please!"

Tony had just rolled and got a winning number when Alex and Rhodey appeared behind him. Tony turned when he heard Alex's voice and winced.

"Did I really miss it?"

"No, we're just holding this award to practice" Alex replied, motioning to Rhodey

"Unbelievable!"** Rhodey said, shaking his head

"Oh, they roped you into this too?"** Tony said

"They said that you would be honored if I gave you the award"** Rhodey replied

"Of course I would be honored"** Tony said, as Rhodey put the award in his hand "Well, that was easy"**

"Too easy" Alex said "You missed my acceptance speech, I was quite proud of it"

"You accepted it for me?" Tony said, as the three of them started to head out of the casino "Aw! Now, I want to see!"

"Too late" Alex replied "I have no idea how long you want to stay here. But, if you don't mind, I'm tired. I'm going home."

"Alright" Tony said, kissing Alex's forehead "Let Rhodey go with you, alright?"

"Dad!" Alex began to protest

"No, I'm serious" Tony said, as he, Alex, and Rhodey stopped in the middle of the lobby. Tony's bodyguards practically surrounded them though, at the same time, kept their distance.

"It's fine, Alex" Rhodey said "I was planning on heading home now anyways"

"Fine!" Alex said, slightly annoyed "But, this is getting ridiculous!"

"Don't forget, Tony" Rhodey said, as the bodyguards followed Tony while he and Alex went a separate way "Tomorrow morning. Bright and early"

"Yeah, yeah" Tony said "I got it"

Alex shook her head as she and Rhodey headed outside to Rhodey's car. "Thanks for letting me go home with you" she said "I'll try my best to get him out of the house tomorrow morning, but no promises because I have school"

"You're going back?"

Alex nodded. "I have to face my peers eventually"

"I'm sure you'll be fine" Rhodey said, opening the door for her

"I'll let you know when I get out" she said, with a smile "But, this may be the last time you see me"

* * *

_**Here's a new chapter for you!**_

**_I hope you like it!_**

**_Please Read and Review! _**


	3. Back To School

_Alex's Diary: Entry 3_

_As predicted, Dad missed receiving his own award. I made a lovely acceptance speech, if I do say so myself. Ok, it wasn't great. But, it was pretty good for having to come up with one on the spot._

_The paparazzi weren't too bad last night. One really kind of made me angry though. Coincidentally, she ended up spending the night here at the lovely Stark Mansion, as I also had predicted straight to her face. Though he doesn't exactly know it yet, Dad doesn't just owe me $20 bucks, but $120 bucks for the two bets I made. I have no doubt he'll give me the money. Daddy does love to spoil his little princess._

_I can already tell that today is not going to be a good day. On top of going back to school for the first time since the accident, Dad is leaving for Afghanistan. Some sort of weapons demonstration. It's completely stupid, if you ask me. Why can't the generals come back to California to view the demonstration? Why do they have to drag Dad out into a country that is war ridden? But, Pepper keeps telling me that I have to have positive thoughts for the entirety of Dad's trip. Usually, I am a very optimistic person. But, I still get nervous and my optimism begins to drift away when I think about Afghanistan._

_I wonder how long it will take for the lovely reporter sleeping in my father's room to get up. I have no doubt that Jarvis will be waking her up within the next 15 minutes or so. Also, I have no doubt that Dad is up already, probably downstairs. He is never one to stay in bed with the one-nighter until she wakes up. I, personally, find that quite rude. But, hey, who am I to say anything? A result of a one-nighter that took place when Dad was still in MIT. What was he then? 15? Yeah, he was 15 when I was born. Point is, I am 18 years old and he is still a young man. Early 30's, something that my friends envy me for. Their fathers are all over 40, some over 50. Having a young, rich father is something that a lot of kids in my school want. _

_And, I have no problem flaunting him off to the bitches that annoy me._

_I have reason to believe that my father did love my mother, mainly because he told me he did and I know that Dad would never ever lie to me. But, before he got the chance to propose to her, she was killed in a car crash. Her car met head on with another car that was running a red light. I have been told that I was 3 years old at the time. So, no, I never really got to know her. I wish I had though. I have plenty of pictures of her, given to me by my father and my grandparents, in a big blue album that I try to keep as safe as possible. But, as you well know, pictures may say a thousand words, but they aren't the same as actually physically seeing and talking to a person. _

_I am still in contact with my grandparents. They, surprisingly, get along very well with my father, despite the fact that he got their daughter pregnant when she was 15. Once in a while, I make the trip to go and visit them. But, I haven't done so since the accident. They actually came to visit me that time. Plus, right now they are on a cruise around the world, compliments of Mr. Tony Stark._

_Anyways, trying to get back on topic…wait…what was I talking about? Oh! Right! I remember now. Dad's leaving. I guess I have to bite the bullet and go say goodbye. Damn, this is going to be hard…_

* * *

"Dad!" Alex yelled "Dad!"

"Downstairs!" Tony yelled back

Alex walked down the stairs and into the workshop that was primarily her father's, but she used it once in a while too. "What? You're not upstairs with the one-nighter?"

Tony almost blushed. "Oh, you heard?"

"Not necessarily" Alex said, with a smile "I just know you"

Tony laughed. "That you do, Princess"

"So, who was it this time?" Alex asked, sitting in a nearby chair as Tony continued to work on yet another car

"That reporter…"

"From Vanity Fair?"

Tony turned to her with a confused expression on his face. "How did you know?"

"I…might have…predicted that she was going to be here last night…"

Tony almost rolled his eyes. "And, why did you do that?"

"She was bugging me about my device" Alex said "Ok, she wasn't completely terrible, but she just irked me. I bet $100 bucks that she would be here" She held her hand out to her father. "Which I'm sure you would love to pay"

Tony laughed a little as he got his wallet out. "You know, I must really like you to be giving you, what is it? $120 dollars for last night"

Alex smiled as she was handed the money. She got off of the chair and went to kiss her father on the cheek. "Call me a spoiled brat, but I like it" she teased. She paused for a moment. "Promise me that you'll be careful over there?"

Tony turned to get a better look at her face. "You're not coming to the airport?"

"I have school" Alex replied "I told you I was going back today"

"Are you sure?" Tony said, suddenly worried "You don't have to go back, Alex. You really don't need to…everyone knows that…"

"I need friends, Dad" Alex replied "And, it's better to have physical contact with people. It's been 2 months since the accident. 2 months since I have seen my friends in person. I want to go back"

Tony nodded as he hugged his daughter. "I will be careful if you promise to be careful"

Alex laughed a little as she pulled away. "Alright" she said "It's a deal"

Tony smiled and kissed his daughter on her cheek. "Good luck today" he said "Feel free to call or text or whatever, no matter what time"

Alex nodded. "Will do"

She turned and started to head out of the workshop. She stole one glance back at Tony as she waved a little. Tony smiled and watched as Alex walked back up the stairs, almost regretting leaving her.

He hadn't been the same around Alex since the accident. Sure, he would never let her know that. But, deep on the inside, every time Alex was out of his sight, fear consumed his body. He would put on a good façade for his friends, girlfriends (if that's what you'd call them), co-workers, etc. But, that fear was always there. And, Tony knew that it would never go away.

* * *

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in"

Christine turned when she heard Alex's voice. The teenager was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, a smug smile on her face. Christine could feel herself blushing. She was dressed only in one of Tony's shirts – the one that he had worn the night before. Certainly not the appropriate outfit to greet Tony Stark's daughter in. "Miss. Stark"

"Miss. Everhart, whatever are you doing here so early in the morning?" Alex said, in a mocking tone "With only…one of my father's shirts on? Did you enjoy your night at the Stark Mansion?"

Christine blushed, but she tried to maintain an annoyed at the way the teenager was talking to her. She arched an eyebrow as she started towards Alex. "Miss. Stark…"

"Alexandra, it is time that you should be leaving for school"

"Jesus!" Christine exclaimed "What's that?"

"That's Jarvis. He runs the house"** Pepper replied, appearing behind Christine. She turned. Alex smiled at her father's secretary. Pepper was about to go through the speech she gave to all of the one nighters that made it to the Stark Mansion. Alex walked up to Pepper and patted her on the shoulder before grabbing her backpack off of the couch.

"Have fun" she whispered

"Oh, I think I will" Pepper replied "Good luck today. Come home, if you need to"

"Thanks, Pepper" Alex replied "Will do" She turned to Christine. "Miss. Everhart"

She smiled to herself as she heard Pepper being the usual speech. She started chuckling as she got into the Ferrari her father got her for her 16th birthday and turned the key, starting the ignition and leaving the driveway.

"Jarvis, you with me?"

"As always, Alexandra"

During the countless hours she spent at the Stark Mansion, Alex was able to put Jarvis into her car, making it so that she would have a safer and less stressful drive whenever she got into her car again. After all, her father was able to do it with all of his things. Why couldn't she do it to her car?

"Good" Alex said "Help me get to school safely"

Alex took in a deep breath and turned out of the driveway, heading straight to Weston High School.

* * *

Gratefully, no paparazzi were in sight. But, that didn't mean that Alex and her Ferrari didn't draw any attention when she pulled into the school's parking lot. She may have been a rich girl going to a school that was primarily middle class working kids, with a few more rich ones thrown in here and there, but no one at the school had money like the Stark Family did.

"Good luck today, Alexandra" Jarvis said, as Alex put her sunglasses on and grabbed her backpack

"Thank you, Jarvis" Alex said, as she stared at the people beginning to crowd around the car "I'm going to need it"

She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard Jarvis chuckle as she opened the door, got out, and closed it behind her. Everyone seemed surprised when they saw her. As she locked the car and began making her way through the crowd, people began whispering.

_"I thought she died!"_

_"She's been gone for months!"_

_"I heard that she was paralyzed"_

Alex pulled the sunglasses off of her eyes once she got into the building, walking the familiar pathway towards her lockers as people continued to stare and whisper. She knew that very few of them would actually have the guts to come up and talk to her. Her name and money made her intimidating to people. Not that she was an intimidating person. Alex was proud to say that she had friends on each side of the social spectrum.

"Well, well, well" said an annoyingly familiar voice "Look who has finally come back to steal the spotlight"

Alex paused in her trip to her locker and turned to find her "arch-nemesis" Fiona O'Donnell standing behind her, with her two friends, Emily Gracin and Hanna Langdon, standing next to her. These were the girls who tried too hard to be popular, or at least that's what Alex thought of them. They flaunted their money and brand names in front of the kids who couldn't afford to get such things. They had often wanted Alex to join their "group", but Alex had always refused. There was no way she was going to be friends with girls like that.

"Have you been keeping it warm for me?" Alex replied, coldly "I know that you have always been itching to steal it from me whenever you get the chance. These past couple of months must have been heaven for you"

Fiona arched an eyebrow. "I see you haven't changed all that much" she said "Except for…" she paused and moved to look at the glowing purple square shining through the back of Alex's shirt. "You'll be happy to hear what we have been studying in Anatomy since you have been gone. The spinal cord. The nerves. The muscles. I'm sure that you are an expert in those subjects"

"I am an expert in a lot of things" Alex shot back "Unlike you who is…just barely passing?"

Fiona's cheeks flushed. Alex chuckled a little as she looked at Emily and Hanna. "It doesn't help that you hang out with these two" she said "They don't do much for your image"

The kids standing around them had to stifle chuckles as Alex talked. They knew that she only acted like this towards people who asked for it. Everyone knew of Alex's kindheartedness. They were glad that she finally returned. It meant that people like Fiona would finally be put in their place.

Alex took a couple steps up to Fiona. "Why don't you go and hang out with people of your own brain capacity?" she suggested "The pre-school isn't too far from here"

Fiona's fists clenched as Emily and Hanna gasped. She pointed at Alex angrily. "This isn't over!" she said, gritting her teeth "You will lose the spotlight again! And, when you do, I will be there to take over"

"Yeah, yeah" Alex said, crossing her arms and brushing her off "Let me know when hell freezes over"

The other kids started laughing as Fiona and her posse stormed off down the hallway, no doubt to the bathroom to plot their revenge. Alex smiled, almost triumphantly, when she heard the voice she was looking for.

"I know that voice anywhere" another familiar voice said "You really haven't changed"

Alex turned to find her best friend, Richelle, standing behind her. She smiled and each of them practically ran into each other's arms. Since the accident, all the two friends had been doing was video chatting on Skype. To actually be able to physically hang out again was wonderful.

"How are you feeling?" Richelle asked

"Please" Alex said "You're starting to sound like Dad and Pepper. I'm fine. Really. You don't need to worry"

"I have to" Richelle said "You're my best friend"

"Well, keep your worries to yourself" Alex joked, putting her arm around Richelle's shoulders. "Come. Lead me to our next class. I'm a little out of practice"

Richelle laughed. "Of course, Your Highness" she joked "It would be my honor"

* * *

"Was Fiona lying when she said that we were learning about the spinal cord in Anatomy?"

Richelle almost rolled her eyes. The morning had flown by pretty quickly. Now, she and Alex were at lunch. "Unfortunately" she replied "When Mr. Flannigan heard that you were coming back today, he changed his lesson plan so that we started the spinal cord on the day you got back"

"Lovely" Alex replied, taking a bite of her ham sandwich "Let me guess. I am going to be the prime topic of conversation?"

Richelle nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised" she said "What that thing in your back is doing is truly amazing technology, Alex. Has your father allowed it to be used for other patients suffering from paralysis?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. After he knew that it worked on me, he allowed the doctors to use it for other people as well" she said "The only drawback is that not everyone wants to use something like this. Some people are really stubborn about these things, you know?"

Richelle nodded. "It's understandable" she said "I mean, so many things could go wrong with technology"

"Thanks for the reminder" Alex said, laughing

"Don't mention it"

Alex smiled and shook her head as she finished her sandwich and began eating her chips. Richelle took a bite of her cheese pizza before continuing. "So, has your Dad left yet?"

Alex nodded. "Sometime after I left for school" she replied "I think he was late though, because I could tell that Pepper was even more eager to get the newest one-nighter out of the house than usual"

"New one-nighter?" Richelle said, arching an eyebrow "He hasn't had one since the accident, has he? What was the occasion?"

"The Apogee Awards were last night" Alex replied "Lots of eager reporters"

Richelle laughed. She and Alex had been best friends since they were in pre-school, so she knew Tony and his habits very well. "Who was it this time?"

"Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair" Alex replied, as she ate a potato chip "I have to say, she was beautiful. She was just…obnoxious?"

Richelle smiled. "Most reporters are" she said "And Pepper? Did she go last night?"

Alex shook her head. "But, Obadiah did" she said "Rhodey too"

"That must have been fun"

"Not really" Alex replied "But, I made $120 bucks, so it wasn't too bad"

Richelle chuckled. "Didn't show up for the award?"

"I made a lovely acceptance speech, you really would have loved it" Alex replied.

The two girls started laughing when a boy walked up to their table. "Hey Alex"

Alex looked up and smiled. "Noah!" she exclaimed, standing and hugging her other best friend "Oh my God! How are you?"

Noah Kingsley smiled when Alex hugged him. He had known Alex and Richelle since middle school and, from the moment he saw her, had a secret crush on Alex. Not too many people knew about it. "Not bad" he replied, as they pulled away "What about you?"

"Ugh! I've been getting this question all day!" Alex complained, as she sat back down "Come. Sit. Join us"

Noah laughed as he looked at Richelle. "I guess that answers my question"

"Leave it to Alex not to care for herself" Richelle replied as she finished her pizza.

"So, Alex, I heard that your father was going to Afghanistan" Noah said "When does he leave?"

"Left this morning" Alex replied "I'm supposed to call him after school gets out. He wants to know how my day goes"

Noah laughed as the bell rang for the students to head to class. "After this class" he said "I doubt that he'll be getting a good report"

Alex sighed as she and her two friends stood and threw their trash away. "Tell me about it"

* * *

"Now, the spinal cord is part of the central nervous system of the body" Mr. Flannigan, one of the anatomy teachers as Weston High, explained "It allows for neural signals – messages – to be sent from the brain to the rest of the body. Should something happen to your spine, horrible things could happen. Including paralysis"

Alex almost cowered in her seat as Mr. Flannigan's eyes landed on her. She could tell her face as going red. Noah patted her on the shoulder, as if he was trying to reassure her that everything would be ok.

"As most of you probably know by now, we have Ms. Stark joining us again" Mr. Flannigan continued "Now, as you all know, Ms. Stark was involved in a horrible accident a few months ago, in which her spine was severely damaged. But, due to the wonders of the 21st Century, Ms. Stark is with us here today, able to move as if nothing was wrong. Ms. Stark, would you mind coming to the front of the room?"

Alex almost glared at her teacher before nodding and standing. She couldn't ignore Fiona's mocking glare as she made her way to the front of the classroom. Mr. Flannigan smiled as Alex turned to face the class. "Ms. Stark, would you mind showing us your device?"

Alex nodded again and turned, partially lifting her shirt so that the device in her back was clear for everyone to see. She rolled her eyes. She knew that Fiona was getting way too much amusement out of Alex's embarrassment. The other kids in the class, including Richelle and Noah, gasped and stared in awe at the purple square in the middle of Alex's spine.

"This device was produced by Stark Industries, which is the company that Ms. Stark's father owns" Mr. Flannigan explained "Its purpose is to stimulate the nerves and muscles surrounding the spine so that they would function once again. As you can see, Ms. Stark is fully functioning, so the device is doing its job. But, should the device for some reason leave her body, she would be paralyzed again within a half an hour. Any questions?"

Fiona raised her hand, a cocky smile on her lips. Alex lowered her shirt, turned, and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Yes, Fiona?"

Fiona lowered her hand. "I thought that Stark Industries was primarily a weapons company" she said "Is this device somehow a weapon? Should we be on guard when Alex is around?"

"Stark Industries doesn't only work with weapons" Alex snapped, before Mr. Flannigan had a chance to respond "We deal in many other fields"

Fiona arched an eyebrow. "And is it also not true that your grandfather helped to build the atomic bomb?"

"Fiona! This has nothing to do with this class" Mr. Flannigan exclaimed "Hold your tongue!"

Richelle and Noah watched as Alex's fists clenched. They looked at each other before putting their eyes back on Alex.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Flannigan" Fiona said "But, if a weapons company is suddenly making life-saving devices, I'd be a little afraid of what those so-called 'life saving' devices can really do"

"Oh, if you'd like to see a weapon, I'm sure I could oblige" Before anyone could stop her, Alex was in front of Fiona's desk. In one smooth movement, Alex punched Fiona across the jaw, sending her crashing to the ground. Emily and Hanna surrounded their fallen leader as Noah leapt up and held Alex back from doing anymore damage. Alex shook her head. "There isn't enough plastic surgery in the world that could fix your face!" she spat

"Alexandra Stark!" Mr. Flannigan exclaimed "Principal's Office! Now!"

Alex ripped herself out of Noah's grasp as she angrily grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the room. Fiona practically cradled her jaw as Emily and Hanna rushed to wipe the blood coming from Fiona's lip. Richelle and Noah grabbed their bags and practically glared at Mr. Flannigan before they too left the room, not caring if they got in trouble or not.

* * *

"She what?"

Pepper closed her eyes for a moment as the Stark limo drove down the road, heading back to the Stark Mansion. After the incident at Alex's school, Pepper had to go down and listen to Alex's principal tell her that they were going to excuse Alex for this offence, primarily because they didn't think that she was in the wrong. The principal let Alex go home early, she driving herself home while Pepper headed back home in the limo.

"Apparently, she got into a fight during her anatomy class" Pepper said "One of her classmates decided to…pick at the past…"

"Pick at the past?" Tony replied "What is that supposed to mean?"

"The atomic bomb was brought up and Alex's device was suspected of being a high tech weapon"

Tony sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I knew it!" he exclaimed "I knew that she shouldn't have gone back! For God's sake, she doesn't need to go back, she's technically done with school! Already graduated!"

"Tony, I understand where you are coming from, but Alex has a point as well" Pepper replied "She needs friends. She wouldn't be able to get any if she didn't go to school. Despite the fact that she has already finished her schooling, in a way, she still needs to go"

"Put her on the line" Tony said "I want to talk to her"

"I'm not with her right now, Tony. She drove herself to school, so she has to drive herself home"

Tony sighed again. Pepper knew that Tony was regretting leaving to go to Afghanistan. "Tony, don't worry" she assured him "Everything will be fine. You'll be home again before you know it and you and Alex can have a long talk about what happened"

"I'm not mad at her, Pepper, I just wish I was there for her"

"You are" Pepper said "You always are. She knows that. Right now, just focus on the demonstration. After that is over, focus all you want on Alex. Let me focus on Alex right now, alright?"

Pepper could tell that Tony was smiling, though she couldn't see him. "What would I do without you?" he asked

Pepper chuckled. "Probably not much" she replied "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"**

"That will be all, Ms. Potts"**

Pepper smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. As the limo turned into the driveway, she saw Alex leaning against her Ferrari. The limo pulled to a stop and Pepper got out.

"So, what did he say?"

Pepper shook her head. She wasn't surprised that Alex knew she had called Tony. "He's not mad at you, if that's what you're looking for"

"Really?" Alex said, as she followed Pepper into the house "He's not?"

"No, he isn't" Pepper replied "But, don't think that he's not going to have a discussion with you about it when he gets home"

Alex groaned as Pepper went into the kitchen and poured both of them a glass of water. "Great" she said "That's almost worse than him just grounding me"

Pepper laughed a little. "I'm sure that you'll be able to get through it" she said "Now, tell me. Where are Richelle and Noah?"

"Richelle and Noah?" Alex said "What are you talking about?"

"I believe that I told them that they were invited over here for dinner" Pepper said, with a smile "It didn't sound like they rejected my invitation"

Alex smiled as the doorbell rang. This was the first time Alex had had friends over since the accident. She squealed a little and hugged Pepper. "Thanks, Pepper" she said "You're the best"

Pepper smiled as she hugged her boss's daughter. "Anytime, Alex" she said "Anytime"

* * *

_**Wow! Long chapter! haha!**_

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	4. When Tragedy Strikes

_Alex's Diary: Entry 4_

_I hate Fiona._

_She had absolutely, positively no reason to be bringing up the fact that Grandpa Stark worked on the atomic bomb. It had NOTHING to do with my device. And! She really had to suggest that my device was a weapon? Really? Was she really trying that hard to get people to not like me? I have already gotten many, many text messages from my friends telling me how much they loved seeing Fiona getting punched by me. So, all she did was make me more popular in school. I shouldn't really be all that surprised. She really isn't smart._

_I really don't get why she has such a big thing against me. What did I ever do to her? Refuse to become her friend because she was making fun of others less fortunate? Oh Lord! Forgive me for being so selfish and offending the bitch! Ok…please tell me you saw the sarcasm in that statement. If you didn't, you have some serious problems._

_Despite my somewhat bad day at school, Pepper was able to make it better by letting me have Richelle and Noah over for dinner and a movie. She would have allowed Richelle to sleepover, but we were all extremely exhausted after the movie. And, everyone knows that very little sleep happens at sleepovers. _

_It was nice hanging out with Noah and Richelle again. It amused me greatly when Jarvis scared them out of their minds. After being away for so long, they had almost forgotten about our high-tech butler. How that could happen, I don't understand. Jarvis usually makes an impression on people. I like to think that they got freaked out because they hadn't heard him in so long._

_You got to love Pepper. She always seems to know what to do to make a person feel better. She's been like a mother to me. If I was younger, I probably would have called her Mom from the very beginning. But, I may be able to call her Mom eventually. I see the way Dad looks at her and vice versa. Something is going on there. And it's my job, as a teenager, to make sure that those two get together. I won't meddle like you see in TV and movies, but I will try my best to make sure those two, eventually, tell each other how they feel._

_I got a text message from Rhodey a little while ago and I almost fell off of my chair laughing. Believe it or not, I think Rhodey texted me when he was drunk…I really don't know if I want to find out why Rhodey was drunk during such an important thing as this. And, since I didn't get a drunken text from Dad, I can safely assume that Dad stayed sober and enjoyed carnal pleasures instead. You want to know why I think he was drunk? Because – and I quote – he thinks that I "did such a damn good job by punching that goddamn bitch, Fiona". So, because of the swearing, I think it's pretty safe to assume that Rhodey was…out of sorts. Not that he doesn't swear. Once in a while, something slips out. But, I know that a sober Rhodey would never send me a message like that._

_Hopefully, they will be home soon and I can confront Rhodey about his text message…and try as hard as possible to keep myself and Dad from laughing._

* * *

"King Henry VIII was married six times during his reign as King of England" the history teacher, Mrs. Garrison, said "And, out of those six wives, only three of them produced children. Katherine of Aragon gave birth to Queen Mary I – sometimes known as Bloody Mary – Anne Boleyn gave birth to Queen Elizabeth I – sometimes referred to as the greatest queen England has ever had - and Jane Seymour gave birth to King Edward VI…"

Alex started daydreaming as she stared out the window. The Tudor Dynasty was one of her favorite subjects of history, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to pay attention. In the back of her mind, she figured it was because of Mrs. Garrison's boring voice.

"Now, class, today at 11:00 AM a special on Henry VIII is being shown on television. And, you are lucky enough to be in the class that gets to watch it live." Mrs. Garrison said, with a smile on her face "It will cover his reign, his wives, and the little things in between"

Alex brought her attention back to the TV screen when her phone began buzzing in her bag. As she rushed to shut it off, Mrs. Garrison's gaze landed on her. "Alexandra, I know you have been away for some time, but phones are supposed to be off in my class"

"I know, I know" Alex said, as she stopped the phone from vibrating "Sorry, Mrs. Garrison"

Mrs. Garrison nodded as she turned back, trying to get the TV to work. Alex's phone began buzzing again. "Alexandra!" she said "I know that you really don't need to be here right now, but that doesn't mean you can avoid the rules!"

"Sorry!" Alex exclaimed, as Noah turned to look at her "I thought I shut it off"

This time making sure her phone was on silent, Alex turned to the screen. Mrs. Garrison waited for a moment before turning up the volume.

"Your phone never goes off in class" Noah whispered as the documentary began "Maybe you should look and at least see who it is"

"No, I'm sure that everything is fine" Alex said "It's probably just Richelle"

Noah nodded and turned to the screen. About a half an hour into the documentary, a news bulletin flashed across the screen.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this important report"

The class groaned as Mrs. Garrison hid her annoyance by getting everyone to quiet down.

"Multi-Billionaire Tony Stark has gone missing in Afghanistan"

All of the color drained from Alex's face. She began shaking. Her pulse began racing as everyone turned to look at her.

"The CEO of Stark Industries had been in the war ridden country for a weapons demonstration to show off his new weapons to the United States Soldiers and Generals stationed over there at this time. During this trip, the soldiers and Mr. Stark were attacked. No further details as to what happened have been released at this time but we will inform you as we get information. In the wake of this tragedy, we can only assume at this time that Tony Stark's daughter, Alexandra, will be taking her father's place as CEO of Stark Industries. We will keep you informed on that as well once we get more information"

Alex didn't even notice when Mrs. Garrison shut off the TV and Noah grabbed her very pale hand. She barely noticed as her chest began to tighten and Noah was handing her inhaler to her. After taking a couple puffs of her medicine, Alex finally snapped out of her trance to find her classmates staring at her and Mrs. Garrison beside her.

"Alex, why don't you go home?" Mrs. Garrison said, softly "Go and see what is true and what's not. You know these reporters. They'll say anything is true just to get a good story. For all we know, your father may be safe and sound on a plane back home"

Alex nodded, not saying anything as she slowly stood and grabbed her bag. Mrs. Garrison looked to Noah. "Noah, go with her" she said "She shouldn't be alone right now. In case he doesn't know already, tell Principal Damon what happened and tell him that you need to get Alex home"

Noah nodded as he helped Alex out of the room. Once the door closed, Mrs. Garrison turned and looked at the class.

"Class, pretty soon this news will be all over school" she said "I know that all or most of you like Alex and are friends with her. Keep her, Mr. Stark, and their friends and family in your prayers. They really need them at a time like this"

The class remained silent as Mrs. Garrison walked back to the front of the room to sit at her desk. She paused for a moment and then looked up at the students. "You could very well have just seen the new CEO of Stark Industries, class" she said "Pushed into a position that should not have been hers for quite some time. Most of you think that having power and money is a great thing – and it can be – but not when you are just 18"

Mrs. Garrison looked at the closed door for a moment before turning back to the students again. "Class dismissed"

* * *

"Pepper, is it true?"

Pepper winced as she heard Alex's voice on the other end of the line. She didn't want Alex to find out this way, not from a news announcement in the middle of school with everyone around her. "I got a call from Rhodey…"

"Just answer me, please Pepper, is it true?"

Pepper was silent. She could hear the phone drop on the ground, but heard nothing else. "Alex?" she said, finally "Alex, are you there?"

"Miss. Potts?"

Pepper was relieved to know that Noah was with Alex. Alex shouldn't be alone at a time like this. "Oh, Noah, thank God. I was afraid she was alone" she said "What's happening?"

"She's crying, Miss. Potts…"

"Please, call me Pepper" she said "Can you get her back on the line?"

"I can try" Noah replied. Pepper could hear him whispering to Alex, trying to get her to talk again. "Here she is"

Pepper waited for Alex to say something before continuing. "Pepper…"

"Alex, just come home" Pepper said "I've already called the Principal. He knows what's happening…"

"I'm sorry"

Pepper became confused. "Sorry?" she said "What for?"

"I should have answered the phone" Alex replied, sobbing "I should have stepped out of class to answer the phone instead of ignoring the two times you called me"

"It's alright, Alex" Pepper said "It doesn't matter now. Just let Noah drive you home, alright?"

"Ok…" Alex said softly "I'll be there soon"

Alex hung up the phone and looked at Noah. "Could you drive me home?"

Noah nodded. "Of course" he said "Taking the bus is overrated" He chuckled a little, trying to make Alex feel a little better, though he knew he would fail miserably. Alex smiled a little as she and Noah turned to leave the building.

"Could you also tell Richelle, when you get the chance?" Alex asked "I don't want her finding out from anyone but either of us"

"Of course" Noah said, taking his phone out of his pocket and texting Richelle "Shall I have her come over the house?"

Alex nodded. "Please…" she said "You can stay too…I don't want to be alone…"

Noah put his arm around Alex as he sent Richelle the message and they got to Alex's Ferrari. "You'll never be alone" he said "I promise you that"

* * *

Reporters were crowding the gate of the Stark Mansion when Noah and Alex drove up. Police officers had been called in to control the crowds of reporters surrounding the Stark Mansion. Noah and Alex had gotten a message from Richelle, telling them that she was on her way. When the reporters spotted Alex, they turned their attention on her and away from the mansion.

"Jesus!" Alex swore "This is not what I wanted to come home to"

"Is there a back way?" Noah asked. He had been to the house many times, but he had only used the front entrance like any other guest to the Stark Mansion.

"They're probably blocking that too"

"Crap" Noah said "Alright. Front gate it is"

Noah began slowly driving through the front gate of the Stark Mansion, the police fighting to keep the press under control. Once the car was through the gate, the doors closed behind them. As Alex got out of the car, she put her sunglasses on. The reporters automatically started yelling out their questions.

_"Ms. Stark, do you have a comment?"_

_"What do you think of your father's disappearance?"_

_"Are you taking over as CEO of Stark Industries?"_

"Just ignore them, Alex" Noah said "You don't have to answer any questions"

Alex nodded as Noah ushered her inside. Alex found herself almost immediately in Pepper's arms when she stepped into her home. The tears started flowing again as she hugged Pepper back. Noah took both his and Alex's bags and put them to the side.

"They have every single available man out looking for him, Alex" Pepper whispered as Alex started to calm down a little "Rhodey assured me that they will find him"

Alex nodded as she pulled away from Pepper and ran her fingers through her hair. "And, if they don't?"

Pepper took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Then you are the new CEO of Stark Industries" she said "Unless you don't want to be yet. I'm sure that we can find someone else to take over until you are ready. Maybe even Obadiah could do it. It's all up to you. But, legally, you are your father's successor. It's all up to you"

Alex nodded once Pepper finished. "I'll think about it" she said "I'm not deciding anything right now. If Obadiah calls wanting me, tell him that I don't want to talk. I know him. He will say some words of sorrow about Dad and then go straight to business. I understand why he does that, but I can't deal with it right now. If he does call, tell him that I want a meeting of the board. Here, not in New York or anyplace that I have to travel to. If you don't mind, of course. I know this is hard on you too…"

"Alex, you know that I don't mind doing favors for you" Pepper said "Especially in a situation such as this"

Alex nodded. "Thank you, Pepper" she said, softly as she looked at Noah who was sitting on the couch trying to find a TV station that wasn't talking about Tony "You're the best"

* * *

**_Here's a new chapter for you!_**

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	5. Annoying The Board

_Alex's Diary: Entry 5_

_Life sucks._

_That's just putting it mildly. Extremely mildly. I could be saying things much, much worse about life. Extremely bad words could be coming out of my mind and could be written down by this pen, but who knows what future generations are going to be reading this diary of mine. I wouldn't want any of my descendants to think I talked like that on a normal basis. But, this is my diary, primarily for my enjoyment, so why shouldn't I talk the way I feel?_

_Life fucking sucks ass!_

_There. I said it. Future generations of my DNA, please excuse my language. But, I'm willing to bet you'd be talking the exact same way if you just found out your father is missing somewhere in the middle of a war zone. Don't think any less of me because of my choice of words._

_Pepper is allowing Noah and Richelle to stay here as long as they want. Fortunately, their parents understand the situation and agreed to let them stay as well. In fact, both Noah and Richelle's parents just stopped by to drop off a couple bags of clothes for them and give me their condolences. I almost wish people would stop doing that. Dad isn't dead. He can't be. I won't allow it. _

_Not that I really have any control, but still…_

_All day, I've been getting phone calls from various friends of mine and friends of my father, telling me how sorry they are. The most heartbreaking was when Grandma and Grandpa called. They insisted on coming here to be with me, but I couldn't make them miss out on their once-in-a-lifetime vacation. My Grandma was very persistent, though. I fought with her about it for a good half an hour. I was finally able to convince her to stay on vacation if I promised to call every day, no matter what time. Even then, she didn't want to stay on vacation. I really wish Dad wasn't that famous. If he wasn't, Grandma and Grandpa probably wouldn't have even heard about him going missing. But, of course, Dad is World News. _

_Right now, Pepper is getting Noah and Richelle re-acquainted with the house and Jarvis. This little tour is giving me private time to write in you, Diary. I wouldn't be able to do it with Richelle and Noah around. Things like this need complete privacy, wouldn't you agree?_

_I talked to Rhodey. I didn't even bring up the text message. His voice was so shaky! He assured me that he wouldn't rest until Dad was found. I believe him. I'm just almost afraid of what he's going to find._

_No! I have to stop thinking like that! I have to be optimistic!_

_But, it is extremely hard. Not only do I have to worry about Dad and his well being – which is pretty much all I can think about right now – but I also have to worry about being the new CEO of Stark Industries. I'm only 18! Technically, almost 19, but that's not the point. Who else would I give the company to, though? Obadiah? Pepper? I want the company to stay in a Stark's control, not anyone else's. Though, if I had to decide, I would give the company to Pepper. Don't ask me why._

_Alexandra Stark, CEO of Stark Industries._

_That is who I am. Right now anyway. I am the 18-year-old CEO of a major weapons company._

_This should be very interesting._

* * *

The first thing that entered his mind was the wonder of where he was. The room was dark, dusty. It took him a minute to realize that something was down his nose. Wincing a little, he pulled it out. The tube was feeding him oxygen. But, why did he need that?

His throat was incredibly dry. He began coughing, scanning the room for any signs of water. He turned and saw a cup on a small table next to him. He reached for it, but couldn't seem to get his hands to work. The cup crashed to the ground, the precious water with it. He looked up to find another man, older than him, shaving in what was passing itself off as a mirror. He tried to quietly reach the table, when something stopped him and held him back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you"** the man shaving said

Tony stared at him for a moment and then turned to see a car battery sitting on a table on the other side of him. He automatically noticed the wires leading from the car battery to his chest. He looked down, ripping the bandages that had been put on him. He began breathing heavily when he saw some sort of device protruding out of his body.

As he stared at the device in the middle of his chest, he wondered what it could possibly be doing to help him…or was it hurting him? No, that didn't make sense. If his captors wanted to hurt him, they wouldn't have been feeding him oxygen. He knew what had happened to him, that part was easy. He was caught in an explosion. That part he remembered.

"What did you do to me?"** Tony eventually asked the man who had been shaving

"What I did?"** The man replied "What I did was to save your life. That is an electromagnet, and it is keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart"**

Tony stared at nothing in particular as he zipped up his sweatshirt, hiding his device. At that moment, Alex entered his mind. Not that she hadn't been in his mind every moment since he left the United States, because she had, but now it was different. Alex had a device. A device that was keeping her alive – more or less – and now he had one. Was the feeling of fear that something would go wrong this strong in Alex? Tony made it a point to try and remember to ask her when he saw her again.

If he ever saw her again.

The thought that he might never see Pepper or Rhodey or Alex was very strong in his mind. He blinked away the tears that threatened to spill over onto his cheeks. He was Tony Stark. He didn't cry. Especially not in a situation that called him to be as strong as he possibly could. He knew that, if Alex or Pepper were there with him, they would be telling him to cry all he wanted. To let everything out. But, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

It was then that he decided he wasn't giving up without a hell of a fight.

* * *

"Alex, are you almost ready to go?" Pepper yelled up the stairs "The board is ready to meet you at Stark Industries"

Alex was staring at herself in the mirror, shocked by what she saw before her. She was wearing black dress pants, a white collared shirt that buttoned down the middle, and a black vest over that. She looked so...buisness-like. It was so...not her. Noah and Richelle stood behind her, one on either side.

"I don't think I can do this"

"Yes, you can" Richelle assured her "All you're doing is telling the board that nothing has changed…"

"Everything has changed!" Alex exclaimed "They are not going to like me taking over, I know they won't. They're not going to think I can handle it. Hell, they're probably going to want Obadiah to take Dad's place"

"Alex, calm down" Noah said, as Pepper appeared in the doorway of Alex's bedroom "There is a reason that it is called _Stark_ Industries. Because the Stark family owns it. If you don't want Obadiah to take control of the company, then don't let him"

Alex nodded a few times before she saw Pepper appear beside her. "Come on, Alex" she whispered "It's time to go"

Alex took a deep breath and followed Pepper, Noah, and Richelle out of her bedroom. She wondered what Tony would think should he ever find out she was taking over the company. Maybe, wherever he was, he would be able to hear the breaking news the next morning.

She could only hope…

* * *

"Gentlemen"

The Board of Stark Industries stood when Alex walked into the room, Pepper right behind her. Obadiah was on the right side of the chair at the head of the table. Alex tried not to look at him. From the way he sounded on the phone, she could only guess that Obadiah expected Alex to make him the CEO in Tony's absence, just like he was the CEO when her grandfather died until Tony was 21. But, Alex wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Please, sit" Alex said, sitting down in her own chair at the head of the table. Pepper stood right behind the chair, watching the board carefully.

"Miss. Stark, before we start…"

"I would actually like to start the conversation, if you don't mind Mr. Samuels?"

Mr. Samuels nodded. "Of course" Obadiah smiled a little. He had never seen Alex act so professional.

"I have done a lot of thinking since I heard of my father's disappearance" Alex began "I've been thinking about Dad, the company, the past…everything. I know that I am a girl. I know that I am still a teenager. But, I do not want to let the company leave Stark control"

Obadiah's smile disappeared from his face as his eyebrow arched. "Alex…"

Alex put her hand up, silencing Obadiah. Pepper was slightly surprised by Alex's behavior. Alex was …different. Different in a good way, though. "I am my father's successor" she continued "No one else. I had given thought to the decision of whether or not to accept what is rightfully mine. And, I have decided…"

She stared at the board for a moment. "Until my father returns, I am the new CEO of Stark Industries"

The board was in an uproar. Alex had suspected such a reaction from them. She knew they all assumed that Obadiah would get the position. Pepper put a reassuring hand on Alex's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. Alex watched the board carefully. An almost sly smile appearing on her lips.

"This is an outrage!" Mr. Samuels exclaimed "A teenage girl in charge of a weapons manufacturing company? Ridiculous!"

"Then, you better pray that my father returns soon" Alex said, standing "Because, if he doesn't, you're stuck with me"

Obadiah glared at Alex. He grabbed her arm as she began to walk away. "Alex, don't do this" he whispered fiercely "You're too young. You don't know how things like this work!"

"Then, someone can teach me" Alex replied, coldly "I'm not letting the company go. It's my name on the label. Not yours"

Obadiah's eyes widened as Alex ripped her arm out of his grasp and Pepper appeared beside her. "Don't let the press know about this yet, Alex" he said "We need to talk"

Pepper handed Alex a remote. She pointed it at the TV on the wall behind her chair and pressed the "Power" button. "Too late"

Obadiah and the rest of the board turned to the television, which was already on a news station. Obadiah's mouth dropped open in shock.

Alex had told the press before she told the board.

"It may not be business-like" Alex replied, setting the remote on the table as Obadiah and the board turned to her "But, I rather enjoyed this little…revelation. I knew that you and the board would object to me keeping control. So, I made it so that I would keep control, no matter what you thought or said"

She turned to the board. "It may seem childish to do something like this, gentlemen" she said "But, you see that it is effective. I can be just as cunning and slimy as any other businessman. I promise you that"

The board remained silent, all of them staring at her.

"Now, you can either help me or you can leave" Alex said "It's your choice"

Obadiah turned to the board. All of them were deep in thought. Alex waited patiently.

Mr. Samuels slowly stood. "Miss. Stark" he said, looking at his companions who nodded "Congratulations on becoming CEO of Stark Industries"

Alex smiled as the board began clapping. She turned to Obadiah, who looked madder than she had ever seen him. With Pepper right behind her, Alex left the room, breathing a sigh of relief that everything went well.

"Well done, Alex" Pepper said "Your father would be proud"

"I hope so" Alex said "I just hope that he's still around to find out about it"

* * *

The Jericho.

They wanted him to build the Jericho.

Tony knew that there was no way in hell that his captors would let him free if he built them the missile. And the man who had been shaving – who he found out was named Yinsen – knew that as well. So, after Yinsen and Tony upgraded the device that was being used to keep the shrapnel out of Tony's heart, he started devising a plan to get out…to get home.

Tony and Yinsen had been playing a game when their captors burst into the room. They quickly stood, putting their hands over their heads. One of the captors slammed a newspaper down on one of the tables. Tony and Yinsen, once they were told that they could, moved to see the headlines. Tony's eyes widened when he saw the big picture of Pepper and Alex in the middle of the paper. He didn't even need Yinsen's translation to figure out what the headline said.

ALEXANDRA STARK TO TAKE OVER AS CEO OF STARK INDUSTRIES

Tony gulped a little. If these men had been after him to build them their missile, they could now go after Alex for the same thing. He turned to his friend after their captors left.

"Yinsen, we have to get out of here" he whispered "If they took me because they want my technology, they could do the same thing to my daughter and I cannot allow that to happen!"

"I realize that, Stark, but how do you propose that we get out of here?"

"I have a plan"

* * *

_**Now, I know it may be far-fetched to have an 18-year-old as a CEO of a company, but I really liked the scene between Alex, Obadiah, and the board. So, I hope you liked it too.**_

**_Hope you like this chapter!_**

**_Please Read and Review!_**


	6. Her Crowning Glory

_Alex's Diary: Entry 6_

_Oh, you should have seen the look on Obadiah's face at the board meeting today! It was the only thing that has made me truly laugh since finding out about Dad. __He was mad, that's a given. I'm half expecting him to make an appearance at some point tonight to…talk to me._

_So, Noah and Richelle have officially gone home. After staying at the Stark Mansion for a while – don't ask me how long, the days seem to be blending together – I told them to go home and relax, to stop baby-sitting me. Not that I didn't enjoy their company, I most certainly did. But, I need some time to myself._

_I haven't gone to school since the announcement about Dad. I'm not sure when I'll go back, or if I'll go back. Now that I have to control the company, that leaves very little time for school. But, Dad could get away with spending hours and hours in the lab working on his cars and whatnot and still manage the company, so I really don't see why I can't still go to school. I haven't decided anything officially, though. _

_I do want to rub this in Fiona's face, though. Is that bad? To want to rub something like me being in control of a major company in her face? It sounds bad once I wrote it down on paper. But, I still kind of want to do it. I just want to show her what she'll never have. Is that so bad?_

_Ok, now I feel like an ass._

_Changing the topic, I have been toying with an idea for a new weapon. It actually has surprised me how easily this idea came into my mind once Dad went missing and I took over the company. I don't want anyone to know about it though. Knowing Obadiah, he will want to put it out on the market. Plus, I don't even know if it will work. I'm planning on starting my project sometime today._

_God, I haven't even been in the workshop since the day that Dad left for Afghanistan. I'm not sure I'll be able to do it. There are so many memories down there. Dad claims I took my first steps down there, but I'm not sure whether or not I believe him. He still has yet to produce video evidence like he promised. I mean, why would a baby be down in a workshop like that? I highly doubt my Mom and grandparents would have allowed me down there at that young of an age. _

_I do remember getting help on some homework from Dad down there. We would sit together at what is now my desk and work on anything that I had trouble with, be it high school work or college work. I didn't usually have problems for long. I got Dad's genius mind, supposedly. But, getting that kind of a mind didn't mean that it didn't take me a couple tries to get things right._

_What else…? Oh! I met Pepper down there. That was a fun day. I remember being totally surprised to actually see Dad with a woman who didn't look like a whore (no offence to Dad or the one-nighters, but most of them did) and to see him not trying to flirt with her. Pepper was great from the beginning, smiling, shaking my hand. We became friends very quickly. If I remember correctly – and I usually do – Dad took us out for dinner that night. Pepper has been with us ever since._

_I feel bad for Pepper. She's hiding her pain well when she's around me, but I know that she is still hurting. And, she has every right to. She and Dad got extremely close ever since she got the job of being his assistant. And, as I said before, I know that she has feelings for him. She has been staying in one of the guest rooms here at the mansion. Sometimes, I try and get her to go home, to relax and keep to herself, but she always refuses. She doesn't want me to be alone in such a big house. I tell her that I wouldn't be alone. That Jarvis was here with me, but she still says no._

_And I still wonder why I don't call her Mom._

_I haven't talked to Rhodey much since the disappearance, as he is he extremely busy with and focused on finding Dad as he promised. I want to help him, but he told me no. He doesn't want to risk losing me too. Which sucks. I want to be out there, trying to find Dad. Not sitting here in the Mansion watching the company._

_But, then again, that would have left me with making the decision on whom to give the company to. And, I don't want to do that either. _

_So, instead of being out there trying to help, I am here, building weapons._

_Yay me!_

* * *

"I don't care what you think, Obadiah" Alex said, as she headed down to the workshop. Her cell phone was against her right ear, her laptop in her left arm. "I'm not changing my mind. You're stuck with me"

She rolled her eyes as Obadiah started talking again. He really was mad about what she had done. She paused on the stairs to the workshop as she pretended to listen.

"I'm the CEO, Obadiah. End. Of. Discussion."

Alex ended the call and put her phone in her pocket, which she knew would only be a temporary place for it. She continued on down the stairs and paused at the glass wall and door. There it was.

The workshop.

She hadn't been there since the day that Tony left. It hadn't been touched. It was still exactly as he had left it. Alex punched in her code to the workshop and opened the door. She slowly walked into the room as the door closed behind her, looking around at everything. She put her computer on her desk and took her phone out of her pocket, placing it on the desk as well.

So many memories.

Alex wanted to get the thoughts out of her mind and focus on her project, but she knew it would be a slow process. So much had happened down in the workshop! And, the workshop without Tony…seemed empty.

"Are you alright, Alexandra?"

Alex closed her eyes and chuckled to herself when she heard Jarvis. "I'm alright" she replied "Or, as alright as I can be"

"Understandable" Jarvis replied

Alex sighed as she turned back to her desk. "Did my order come in?"

"Yes, it did this morning" Jarvis replied, as the gadget that Tony called "Dummy" rolled over to Alex, handing her a package "I do want to inquire as to why you ordered these"

"You'll be able to find out" Alex replied, as she opened the box and smiled a little "I have a project"

"A new project?" Jarvis said "You haven't preformed one since you graduated"

"That wasn't all that long ago, Jarvis" Alex replied, as she put the open box on her desk. She opened her computer and turned it on. "And, can we not talk about graduation? I have a second high school one coming up that I am really not looking forward to sitting through again"

"As you wish" Jarvis said

Alex chuckled as she thought about graduation. She was definitely not looking forward to sitting through high school graduation again. But, this time, Richelle and Noah would be graduating. It would give her something interesting to watch as opposed to the members of her graduating class who considered her a freak because she was graduating so young. Even in college, she was made fun of. But, in both situations, she bested her peers, graduating at the top of her class. Thank God she had Richelle and Noah. Without them, Alex would never have made it through high school and college.

"Jarvis, can you go into the folder marked 'project' and transfer the data onto my workshop computer?" Alex asked "Put it on my secret server. I don't even want Dad to know this when he comes back…" she paused for a moment "If he comes back…"

"Of course" Jarvis replied

"And, I expect you not to say anything" Alex said, looking up at the ceiling as if she was going to see Jarvis's face. "Understood?"

"Yes, Alexandra"

"Good" Alex replied, as the file was transferred "Let the games begin"

* * *

Tony and Yinsen had been working long hours, trying to get Tony's weapon ready in time for them to make an escape from their captors. They were working so hard, they only looked up when their captors came in to the room again. Putting their hands over their head, Tony and Yinsen watched as the leader of the Ten Rings – their captors – came forward.

"Relax"**

Tony looked at Yinsen as both lowered their arms. The leader came up to Tony and examined the device in his chest

"The bow and arrow was once the pinnacle of weapons technology"** he said, looking at Tony's face. He moved away. "It allowed the great Genghis Kahn to rule from the pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great and four times the size of the Roman Empire"** He picked up some of Tony's designs. "But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands"**

Tony looked to Yinsen as the leader turned to Tony. He held up a newspaper. Tony gulped. Alex's picture was in the middle of the page again. Another article about the 18-year-old CEO.

"And I thought that you were the one and only living genius in the family"

Tony glared at the leader. If he touched Alex…

"According to the article, she's making quite a name for herself" the leader said "Apparently, she's already bested your board, announcing her take over before informing your board of that fact. And, she's only 18"

Without knowing it, Tony's fists clenched.

"Such a young, beautiful girl" the leader said, looking at the picture again "She looks like you. It would be a shame if something were to happen to her…"

It took every ounce of Tony's being to keep him from punching his captor across the jaw.

"If you don't have my missile finished by tomorrow, I fear something bad _will_ happen to her"

The leader glared at Tony and then looked at Yinsen for a moment before he and his men turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Yinsen looked at Tony and knew exactly what he was thinking. "Come" he said "We have a lot to do before tomorrow comes"

* * *

"Alexandra, I'm not exactly sure how you think this is supposed to work" Jarvis said "I don't think its possible…"

"Jarvis, the whole Stark Industries deals in things that are 'not possible'" Alex replied, typing on the computer "Take a look at this house. None of this should be possible. I shouldn't even be alive right now, for God's sake."

"Point taken"

Alex smiled and shook her head as she tried to get some stray strands of hair out of her face, but failed as they fell back into place. "I'll make it work" she replied "This will be my best work. If I can get this to work…"

She paused for a moment, thinking about all the history of her family's past.

"It will be _my_ crowning glory"

* * *

_**Here's a new chapter for you!**_

**_Hope you like it!_**

**_Please Read and Review!_**


	7. The Best Birthday Present Ever

_Alex's Diary: Entry 7_

_Pepper fears that I am spending way too much time down in the workshop. I keep reminding her that Dad spent just as much time down here as I am. She said that that's what worries her. I had to laugh at that one. It was actually pretty funny._

_Sure, I'm spending a lot of time down here. But, I am working on a project. A project that also has to do with Stark Industries, so it's not like I am doing no work at all. Ok, so Stark Industries is not going to get its hands on my project. But, still…it's partially work related. _

_Noah and Richelle come over at least once a week for dinner and a movie. When they are not here, I get a call from each of them each night. I love them, but they are starting to get on my nerves. _

_I'm not as depressed as I was when we first found out about Dad. Why, you ask? Because I whole-heartedly believe that he is still out there, out there trying to get home. Sure, I've taken over the board. But, it will be just as easy to give it back into Dad's control, once he comes back._

_No one is going to be able to change my mind set. Dad is alive. End. Of. Story._

_Of course, there always is a little piece of me that is pessimistic. But, that is to be expected in a situation like this. _

_Changing the topic, Obadiah has been on my ass about everything lately. I've started to have Pepper forward all his calls to Voice Mail. I'm tired of talking to him. Ever since the board meeting, he's been calling or visiting or "coincidentally" showing up at Stark Industries the same time I am there talking with some of the employees. He's like a freaking stalker. I know for a fact that he is just trying to annoy me into giving up my title as CEO. But, if that were to happen, he would just have to annoy it out of Pepper. This childish behavior is ridiculous. Plus, it is very un-like him._

_That reporter, Christine Everhart, the one that Dad had fun with his last night in America wanted to interview me for Vanity Fair. I politely declined. I had nothing against Vanity Fair. Just her. For now anyway. Come this time next year, I would be happy to do an interview with her. Just not so soon after she spent a night here at the mansion._

_So, instead, Vanity Fair sent another reporter over. Go figure._

_I often wonder if Dad has been seeing any of the papers wherever he is being held. Surely, the articles are world news, translated into whatever language his captors speak. Also, this makes me think of who in the world is going to be coming after me now that I am CEO. This is why my project needs to be finished soon with no errors. _

_It's been a slow process. Today, I start the hard part. The part that Jarvis thinks is impossible. I have one motto that explains my life so far:_

_Nothing is impossible._

* * *

"Careful, careful" Alex said, mainly to herself "We have to be careful. This is a delicate task…"

Alex had put Dummy in charge of holding an extra light, while Alex had another one of Tony's devices hold a magnifying glass for her. Dummy moved a little bit, Alex closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

"Dummy, hold still, alright?"

Dummy made some noises as he acted sad. Alex almost rolled her eyes. "Sorry" she said "But, what else am I supposed to call you? Dad has been calling you that for as long as I remember. You know I don't really think that you are dumb, right?"

Dummy acted happy again and Alex smiled. "Good boy" she said "Now, hold still"

"Alexandra, Miss. Potts is asking for you" Jarvis said "She said that dinner's here"

"Give me a minute, Jarvis" Alex replied as she smiled triumphantly. "I need to bask in glory for a moment"

"And, why is that?" Jarvis asked

Alex smiled and crossed her arms, looking at her work. "I just succeeded the impossible, Jarvis" she said "I successfully split a dagger in half"

* * *

"Obadiah, I really don't think you should be here"

Obadiah turned to Pepper as he put a pizza down on the living room table. "Why can't I be?" he asked "I just want to see Alex. She is going through a lot"

"I know that" Pepper replied "We all are. But, every time you come over, it's all business. Alex doesn't need that right now."

"She needs to get used to it" Obadiah replied "If she is indeed remaining as CEO, she needs to get used to running a company"

"I agree" Pepper replied "But, wait until we find out about Tony, alright?"

Obadiah was about to respond when Alex came up the stairs from the workshop. She stopped at the top of the stairs. "Obadiah" she said, spotting the box on the table "You always were one for bringing pizza for dinner"

"Alex!" Obadiah said, putting a smile on "How are you?"

"Fine" Alex replied, simply. She sat next to Pepper on the couch and began eating a piece of pizza. "You?"

"I'm alright" Obadiah replied. They sat there in awkward silence for a moment before Alex rolled her eyes and wiped her hand in a napkin.

"Alright, out with it" Alex said, crossing her arms "Why are you really here?"

Obadiah opened his mouth to speak when he received a glare from Pepper. "The board…"

Alex rolled her eyes. "What about the board?"

"While they agreed to let you be CEO," Obadiah explained "They are not comfortable with it"

"Why?" Alex demanded "Because of my age? My sex?" Obadiah sighed as Alex continued. "Because I really don't think I've been doing that bad of a job."

"Yes, Alex" Obadiah said "It's because you are so young. Your father didn't assume the role of CEO until he was 21. That's three years older than you are right now"

"FYI" Alex said, coldly "I'm going to be 19 in two days"

Obadiah rolled his eyes as Alex stood and began to head back to the stairs. "Alex!"

"Obadiah, leave her alone" Pepper said as Alex headed down the stairs "Instead of trying to get her out of the job, you could be her mentor. Just like you were Tony's"

Obadiah was about to say something when Alex yelled up the stairs. "She has a point!"

Obadiah pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright" he said "Alright. I won't say anything. Not for a while"

Pepper nodded. "Thank you"

"But, she's going to have to listen to me eventually"

"She'll only listen to you if you are planning on helping her" Pepper said "Not if you are planning on harassing her"

Obadiah nodded as he headed towards the exit. Pepper sighed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind him.

_Another battle won._ Pepper thought. _Another battle won._

* * *

"Alexandra, I really think that you should get some sleep" Jarvis said "You've been at this for hours"

"I'm in the middle of a breakthrough here, Jarvis" Alex replied, as she carefully welded the dagger back together "Stop sounding like Pepper"

"Alexandra…"

"There!" Alex announced, turning off the welding machine and taking off her goggles "Done! Now, for the test!"

"Couldn't you do that after you get some sleep?" Jarvis asked "You need to be well rested for your birthday"

"Which is only in a few hours" Alex replied, picking up her dagger "I'm fine!"

"Alexandra…"

"I said I'm fine, Jarvis" Alex said as she moved in front of the life-size target of a man that she had purchased at the beginning of her project. Alex took aim and threw the dagger, straight into the dummy man's heart.

"Well done, Alexandra" Jarvis said "You have successfully thrown a dagger"

"Wait for it…"

Ten seconds after the dagger entered the dummy's heart lightening flashed all around. Alex ducked and shielded her eyes from the light. When the light died down, Alex looked up to find a "dead" and a slightly charred "corpse" in front of her. She smiled successfully.

"What could you possibly be planning for this?" Jarvis asked, as Alex went over and extracted the dagger from the dummy's heart. "Going to become a killer, are you?"

Alex laughed a little. "We're a weapons company, aren't we?" she asked "I made a weapon"

"A weapon that you are not allowing Stark Industries to have the rights of"

Alex rolled her eyes. "It was just a project, Jarvis" she said "I don't plan on doing anything with it"

"You went to great lengths to make it, though"

It was true. Not only did Alex install electric wiring throughout the entirety of the dagger – to create the electrical charge – but she also installed levels. Levels meaning Manual or Automatic. In the Automatic Level, the dagger would "erupt" its electrical power within 10 seconds of entering its target. In the Manual Level, the dagger would enter its target, but the electrical power would stay within the dagger until a button was pushed on a small remote that Alex also created. To protect the dagger from becoming damaged with each "explosion", Alex had made it so that the blade was so durable and strong that nothing could harm it.

"It kept my mind busy" Alex replied. She kept the dagger in her hand as she headed out of the workshop. "Jarvis, can you have the materials put away. You're right. I'm beat"

"As you wish, Alexandra"

* * *

"It's a miracle"

Tears were streaming down Pepper's cheeks as she listened to Rhodey's voice on the phone.

"Don't tell her?" Pepper said "How can I not tell her?"

She listened some more. She waved to Alex as Alex headed up the stairs to her room. She was glad that Alex didn't notice the huge smile on her face or tears in her eyes.

"Well, I'm sure it will be the best one she ever gets" Pepper said "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then. Good work, Col. Rhodes"

Pepper laughed a little as she said good-bye to Rhodey and hung up the phone. She couldn't stop smiling as she too headed up to her room in the Stark Mansion.

Alex was about to get the best birthday present ever.

* * *

"Pepper, where are we going?" Alex demanded, the next morning as they drove in one of Tony's cars "I thought that we were going to stay in"

"It's your birthday, Alex" Pepper said, with a smile "We have to do something!"

"But, it's the first birthday I've had without Dad" Alex said "I don't really want to do anything"

"Don't make up your mind yet, alright?" Pepper said "I have a surprise for you"

Alex's eyes narrowed a little as she nodded in agreement. "Fine" she said "I trust you"

Pepper chuckled as Alex smiled a little. "You'll love it, I promise"

Alex nodded again as Happy, the Stark Chauffeur, drove into an airport. "Are we going on a trip?"

Pepper shook her head as she and Alex got out of the car. "Nope…"

Alex put her hands in her pockets as she stared at the huge plane sitting before her. The wind started to blow a little bit. She was confused by Pepper's almost eager behavior as she stared at the plane in front of them. Alex noticed the ambulance close by the plane. She pointed at it.

"Are we supposed to be here?" she asked "I mean, there's an ambulance…"

"Oh, Alex!" Pepper said, smiling and putting her arm around the teenager "You may be a genius but sometimes you have a hard time putting two and two together"

Alex was about to respond when the ramp of the plane began to descend. She watched carefully and with a lot of interest. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock when she saw Tony being led down the ramp by Rhodey.

"Pepper!" Alex squealed "Pepper! He's home! He's home!"

"What are you standing here for?" Pepper asked, with a smile "Go to him!"

Alex smiled and Pepper laughed as the teenager ran into her father's arms for the first time in three months. Briefly ignoring his arm being in a sling, Tony laughed as Alex practically jumped into his arms and he spun her around. She may have been 19, but he was still able to pick her up without hurting himself. And, he really didn't need the sling to begin with. He was only wearing it to keep people from annoying him.

"You're back…" Alex said "Oh my God! You're back!"

"You didn't think I'd miss your birthday, did you?" Tony asked, with a smile as he looked upon his daughter's face for the first time in 3 months. Alex stood back on the ground. "This was the best day of my life!"

Alex laughed as she shook her head. "You never have!"

Tony smiled as he put his arm around Alex and kissed her on the forehead."Happy Birthday, Princess" he said. Alex smiled. Then, Tony made his way over to Pepper while Alex went to talk to Rhodey. Rhodey smiled as the now 19-year-old Alex ran into his arms much like she had done with Tony.

"Rhodey, you are amazing!" Alex said, pulling away from him "Absolutely amazing. You should get an award for this"

"Well, at least I'd show up to accept it" Rhodey joked. He and Alex laughed.

"I don't know how I can thank you, Rhodey" Alex said

"No thanks are necessary" Rhodey replied "I'm just happy that he's back and you're happy"

"Oh, come on" Alex said. She smiled. "But, I guess I'll have to take your word for it. But, if you ever need anything – anything at all – don't hesitate to ask me, alright?"

"I already knew that" Rhodey replied, as he hugged Alex again.

"Alex!"

Rhodey and Alex pulled away from each other when they heard Tony's voice. Alex laughed. "Guess that's my cue" she said "Come by later tonight for ice cream and cake, ok?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" Rhodey replied, smiling. He watched as Alex smiled and then ran over to Tony. Tony, almost automatically, took Alex's hand in his own and kissed the top of her head. The whole plane ride home Tony had been asking about Alex, about how she was dealing with everything, about her being CEO. Rhodey couldn't tell him much, primarily because he didn't know much, but he assured Tony that Alex was fine.

He knew for a fact that Tony was going to be asking Alex a lot of questions, though. Many, many questions.

* * *

_**Hope the bit about the dagger wasn't too confusing. I tried to explain it as best I could. To try and put it simply, the dagger gives off an electrical charge every time it enters a target. Hope that helps. **_

**_Anyways, hope that you like the new chapter!_**

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	8. The Press Conference

_Alex's Diary: Entry 8_

_He's back, he's back, He's back, he's back, he's back!_

_Now, imagine me singing this and you'll truly understand how I feel. _

_Words cannot even describe how I feel right now as I ride in the car in between Dad and Pepper, eating some French fries from Burger King while Dad eats some burgers. It is almost like he was never gone. _

_Pepper wanted to take him to the hospital but, as to be expected, Dad refused. Instead, he wants a press conference set up immediately. He told me that, to begin the conference, he wants me to announce that I am no longer CEO. I, gratefully, agreed. This means that Obadiah would start to leave me alone just as he had before._

_Dad can't stop telling me how proud he is of me about how I took over in his place and, from what he heard from Pepper, seemed to do considerably well. I told him it was no big deal. I am always one to brush things like this off. But, Dad disagreed. He felt bad that I gave up the last few months of school to run Stark Industries. But, I reminded him that I didn't need school to begin with. Besides, I was still able to sit through graduation again and watch Noah and Richelle graduate (I took a "personal day")._

_Right now we are pulling up in front of the building where the conference is being held. Obadiah is standing on the sidewalk while the reporters are being held back by police. I wish I had dressed better, but how was I to know that this was going to happen? The press will just have to deal with my jeans and t-shirt._

* * *

Alex almost rolled her eyes as Obadiah led Tony into the building, her and Pepper following close behind. The reporters cheered when they saw Tony walk through the crowd. Obadiah looked overjoyed.

"Obadiah seems happy" Pepper commented

"Of course he does" Alex replied "He doesn't have to deal with me anymore"

Pepper chuckled as Rhodey appeared next to them. "And, I thought I'd see you guys tonight" he said, with a smile "Do we know what this is about?"

"No idea" Alex replied "But, I am supposed to officially give up my title as CEO"

"Oh, you must be so sad, Alex" Rhodey teased. He had heard about Alex and Obadiah's tense relationship.

"Terribly" Alex said, dramatically "I don't know how I will be able to live without that title."

Pepper and Rhodey laughed as Obadiah calmed the crowd down. "Ladies and Gentlemen" he said "Before we get on with the conference, Alexandra Stark would like to make an announcement"

The reporters turned to Alex as she walked away from Pepper and Rhodey and up to the podium. Tony watched his daughter proudly as she reached the podium and began to speak.

"Well, I guess you all must have a general idea as to why I am up here" she said, with a smile as she ran her fingers through her hair. "My family, friends, and I have truly been blessed with a miracle as my father has safely returned home. In light of this miraculous event, I hereby – officially – resign as CEO of Stark Industries and give that oh-so-wonderful position back to my father, Anthony Stark"

Everyone began to clap as Tony walked up to the podium and hugged Alex again. Alex, with a smile on her face, kissed Tony on the cheek before heading back to Pepper and Rhodey.

"How does it feel to be a normal teenager again, Alex?" Rhodey asked

"Normal?" Alex replied "What exactly is normal?"

Rhodey chuckled and turned his attention back on the podium. Alex couldn't stop smiling as the press conference began. Obadiah was standing at the podium, Pepper with a man who looked like a government agent, and her father was sitting against the podium on the floor. She had no idea why her father had called a press conference, but she didn't care. He was back. That's all that mattered.

"Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down?"** Tony asked, as he pulled another burger out of his pocket "That way you can see me and it's a little less formal"**

Alex chuckled as all of the reporters sat on the ground. She chose to remain standing against the wall in the back of the room, watching her father carefully. Rhodey and Pepper decided to go with the crowd and sit on the floor.

"What's with the love-in?"** Rhodey whispered in Pepper's ear

"Don't look at me"** Pepper replied "I don't know what he's up to"**

"No one usually does" Alex replied, smiling, causing Rhodey and Pepper to briefly look up at her.

"I never got to say good bye to Dad…"** Tony told Obadiah. Alex, Pepper, and Rhodey focused their attention back on Tony. Tony turned to the crowd. "I never got to say good-bye to my father…"**

Alex spaced out for a few moments at the thought of her grandparents. They had died in a situation that she had been miraculously saved from. How was it fair that they died but she got to live? Her mind was brought back out of her thoughts when she heard her father speak the words "I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries"**

The room was in an uproar. The press was yelling out questions, Tony was trying to finish his sentence and Obadiah was trying to calm everyone down. Alex's mouth dropped open in shock. Pepper and Rhodey stood with shocked expressions on their faces.

Tony pushed his way through the crowd, grabbing Alex's hand and holding it in his own "injured" hand while his free hand was around her waist. Alex had to pick up her speed a little bit to match her father's.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Alex whispered as she and Tony speed-walked to the car "That was the company's biggest money maker!"

"I'll explain in the car" Tony replied. Happy opened the door and the two Starks got inside. Once in the car, Tony told Happy to wait for Pepper. He knew that Rhodey had come in his own car, so there was no need to wait for and listen to Rhodey at that point in time. Tony knew that Rhodey would think that this was some sort of joke.

"Alright" Alex replied, crossing her arms "We're in the car. Explain."

"You're mad?" Tony asked "Seriously?"

"Not mad" Alex replied, shaking her head "Just extremely confused. I always thought we made the most money in weapons manufacturing. How is Tony Stark going to continue his playboy lifestyle if we lose money?"

Alex tried to hold in her laughter as Tony chuckled and shook his head. "Afghanistan changed me, Princess" Tony replied "Believe it or not, your playboy father might be changing his ways"

"No!" Alex said, pretending to be extremely shocked "Not that! What would the world do without you to light up their headlines?"

Tony smiled as Alex burst out into laughter. "You think this is funny" he said "You think I'm kidding"

"I do" she replied, calming herself down "Because, the next beautiful woman you see will be paying a visit to the mansion and will hear my sarcastic commentary the next morning. It happens all the time, Dad. No matter how much you say you're going to change"

"I mean it, Alex"

The smile slowly faded from Alex's face when she heard the seriousness in Tony's voice. "Wait…you are!" she said "You really are serious!"

Tony nodded. "I wasn't lying when I said that Afghanistan changed me" he said "Things are going to be different now. I'm different now"

Alex just watched Tony. She had never seen this side of him before. It seemed…strange. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

"While I was there, I thought of so many things" Tony said "So many things that I have taken for granted, things that are left un-said. Granted, I'm not going to change completely. I'm still going to be your handsome, sarcastic, witty, fun-loving Dad, but…" He and Alex laughed at the same time "…it's not going to be all about the money and the women and the toys."

"You're not going to give it up entirely, are you?"

"Hell no" Tony said, with a smile "But, I'm not going to be like that all the time, you know?"

Alex nodded. "I do" she said "And, I'm proud. I don't want you to change, Dad. I like you just the way you are"

Tony smiled. "Thanks, Princess"

Tony and Alex looked up at the same time when the door opened and Pepper got inside. "Well, that was a whirlwind" she said "Obadiah is still trying to calm them down. Rhodey is going to meet us later for Alex's party. My suggestion is to go home before we get mobbed"

"You and Alex can head home, Pep, I want to go to Stark Industries"

"Tony…"

"I want to see the Arc Reactor" Tony replied "If I know Obie, he'll want to talk to me…in a stern way, but talk to me all the same"

"Dad, you just got home after being kidnapped in Afghanistan" Alex said "Don't go to work. Come home"

"I will" Tony replied "Just after this. I promise"

Alex sighed a little as she gingerly touched the device in Tony's shirt. He looked at her with amazement. "How did you know…?"

"Because I have one too" she said "I know how it feels."

Pepper looked down for a moment as Tony wrapped his arm around his daughter and Alex laid her head on his shoulder. "Take them home, Happy" Tony said "Then, take me to Stark Industries"

* * *

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	9. Back In Time

_Alex's Diary: Entry 9_

_Bet I don't look too bad to Obadiah now. _

_So, he spends months trying to get rid of me and become CEO while I am doing exactly what Dad did before he disappeared. He succeeds when Dad comes home, only to have Dad do what Obadiah has nightmares about. _

_The weapons division of Stark Industries has been shut down until further notice._

_Bet I look like an angel from heaven to him right now. At least, when I was CEO, I still allowed the company to make weapons. _

_Noah and Richelle found it quite hilarious when they heard it on the news. They knew how hard of a time that Obadiah was giving me. Noah came close to punching him across the jaw at one point. Now, it's all coming back to bite him in the ass._

_Oh, sweet irony!_

_From what I heard from Richelle and Noah, Fiona was pissed when she found out that I was CEO. I'm starting to think that there's something else going on with her. I just really don't get why she has such a big thing against me. If I remember correctly, I did nothing to offend her. Maybe I got her mad when I said I didn't want to make fun of other kids with her? That just makes absolutely no sense, though. _

_I decided that Jarvis and I will look into it. _

_Speaking of Jarvis, he finds it quite amusing that I completed making an extremely high-tech weapon mere hours before Dad temporarily shut down the weapons division of Stark Industries. I keep the dagger hidden safely in a secret spot in my room. A spot that no one – not even Jarvis – but me knows about. I have a feeling I won't have any use for it. But, like I said to Jarvis, it's my crowning glory. If I had been in Grandpa Stark's shoes, it would have been what got the company started._

_I think, anyway. _

_My mother's parents have safely returned from their vacation and were thrilled to hear that Dad was home. They came to visit for a little while a few days ago. It was nice to see them again, and not just because I got a lot of presents. They didn't stay for too long, though. They didn't want to get Dad overtired, or some such nonsense, after getting back._

_Speaking of Dad, you should see the suit he created when he escaped. It's amazing! Well, for the fact that he built it in a cave, it's amazing. The arc reactor in his chest is pure genius. How he was able to do that, I don't think I'll ever know. I wish I did, though. I really wish I did._

_Dad has been a lot more nervous about Mr. Un-freeze since he's been back than he ever has been. I understand why he worries. But, now I have to go to the doctor at least every two weeks for "check-ups" to make sure that nothing is going wrong. I know this sounds bad, but I'm not entirely sure how many of those I'll be able to make it to._

_It's not that I want to annoy Dad or make him go insane, I just hate going to the doctor. I have been there way too much for any person's liking and I, quite frankly, would be happy if I never went again. Now, I realize I have to go again at some point. But, I want to avoid it at all costs._

_Maybe Jarvis can be my doctor for me…hmm…I'll have to look into that…_

* * *

"Alex, can you come in now?" Pepper yelled to Alex "You have to go to your appointment"

Alex rolled her eyes as she floated on her back in the pool in the backyard of the Stark Mansion. Richelle laughed and shook her head. "Pepper, I feel fine" Alex replied "There's no need to go to the doctor"

"Just because you feel fine, doesn't mean there's nothing wrong" Pepper replied, putting her hands on her hips "Come on. Come inside"

"But, Jarvis checked me out last night and I was fine" Alex replied, lowering her sunglasses and looking at Pepper "I doubt that he is wrong and I doubt that anything happened overnight"

"Do I need to go and get your father?" Pepper asked, as if Alex was a little child.

"Pepper" Richelle said, before Alex had a chance to respond "Maybe if would be easier if you could get the doctor to make a house-call?"

Pepper rolled her eyes as Alex smiled. "Ooh!" Alex said "I like that idea. Good job, Richelle! Yes, Pepper, I will go to these silly appointments if the doctor comes to me"

"You're acting like a spoiled brat right now, Alex, you know that right?" Pepper asked, a smile playing on her lips

"But, I know you love it" Alex smiled "I don't do it that often"

Pepper laughed and shook her head. "I will call the doctor and see if he can oblige"

"Thanks, Pepper!" Alex replied "You're the best"

Richelle turned to her friend as Pepper went back inside the mansion. "You could just be a good girl and go"

"But, am I a good girl?" Alex replied "That is the question"

"Come on, Alex" Richelle said "Your Dad just wants the best for you"

"I know" Alex replied "But, I don't see why I have to go to the doctors and he can stay home and deal with his device. Jarvis helps him. Why can't Jarvis help me?"

"Alright, alright" Richelle said "I'll drop the topic"

She splashed a little water in Alex's face. Alex laughed. "Thanks" she replied, kicking some water back at her friend "Love ya too"

* * *

"Where is she?" Tony demanded as he and Pepper walked into his bedroom "She's not getting out of this one. When have I ever asked her to do anything?"

"I know, I know" Pepper said "But, she's only taking after you"

"After me?" Tony replied "What are you talking about?"

"You always refuse to go to the doctor" Pepper replied "You refused to go to the doctor right in front of her when you got back. So, unlike you, Alex at least suggested that the doctor come here as opposed to her going there. Besides, what's better than getting examined in the comfort of your own home?"

Tony sighed and rubbed his face. "Once" he said "We'll try it once. If it works, fine. If not, Alex will have to suck it up and go to the office"

"Fine" Pepper said "Sounds like the perfect bargain"

Tony nodded as he stared out the window, looking down at Alex and Richelle in the pool. Pepper came up behind him.

"What did Obadiah say to you at Stark Industries that day?"

"Oh, just about how arc reactor technology is pretty much pointless" Tony said "That is was a 'publicity stunt'. Little does he know that arc reactor technology is what is powering both my and Alex's devices. He also told me to lay low, so he can talk to the board. Business stuff"

Pepper nodded. "I see"

There was silence for a moment. Pepper was about to walk away when Tony spoke again.

"Thank you, Pepper"

Pepper stopped and stared at Tony for a moment. "For what?"

"Everything" Tony replied, turning to her "Everything you've done, everything you have yet to do. Jarvis told me how you stayed here while I was gone. Even though Alex told you that you didn't have to. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate that"

"I couldn't leave her here by herself" Pepper said, with a small smile "I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night"

Tony laughed a little and nodded. "Well, thank you, all the same"

"You're welcome" Pepper said "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

Tony smiled. "That will be all, Miss. Potts"

Tony watched as Pepper walked away and then turned back towards the window. Alex and Richelle were now out of the pool and were drying off in the hot Malibu sun. Alex's device shone brightly, even through the bright sunlight. Tony looked away as his fingers softly touched his own device in his chest. He made his way over to his bed and sat down on the edge. He sighed a little as he thought about everything that had happened within the past few months. He looked over at the drawer of one of his bedside tables and slowly pulled it open. He pulled out a picture frame, one that he had kept hidden whenever he had a "lady friend" over for the night.

It was a picture of him, Alex, and his first love, Nicole – otherwise known as Alex's mother – at Alex's 3rd birthday party, a few months before Nicole was killed. Both of them were so happy, with huge smiles on their faces. Even Alex was smiling a huge smile. Tony laughed a little when he saw the picture, thinking of simpler and better times.

Everything now was so complicated! Tony couldn't even count the times when he wished to go back to when he was younger, when Alex was still a young child. Before Alex's accident and before his kidnapping. Hell, he wouldn't have even minded going back a year before all of that happened. But, he knew that time travel was an impossible feat. Even his technologies couldn't pull that off.

"Tony! Alex's doctor is here! Do you want to come down?"

Tony was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Pepper's voice. He put the picture back in the drawer and closed it. "Yeah, I'll be right down"

* * *

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	10. When Enemies Become Friends?

_Alex's Diary: Entry 10_

_And, as usual, I am a perfectly healthy human being._

_Everyone's just paranoid. That's what I have officially decided. They think that I am going to self destruct or something. But, if I haven't self destructed by now, I highly doubt that it will happen anytime soon._

_I did agree to sacrifice one thing though: I agreed to actually go to a doctor's office at my next appointment. Dad and I came to the agreement that every other appointment is held here at the mansion. A fair trade. I get what I want and Dad gets what he wants. It's a win-win situation._

_But, Richelle and Pepper think that I am just Daddy's Little Princess. I don't deny that fact for one second. Dad has always treated me like a little princess. I am his only child, after all…I think…Anyways, I have always been spoiled. Thankfully, though, I learned on my own that the world doesn't revolve around me._

_Dad has been working down in the workshop a lot lately, trying to make a high tech version of the suit that supposedly helped him escape from his captors. He's only told me about it, though. Mainly because I caught him working on some of the designs one night when I brought him a soda. He made me swear not to tell Rhodey, Pepper, or Obadiah. I promised._

_Dad telling me about his suit makes me think about telling him about my dagger which is safely hidden away. But, I can't bring myself to do it. If I told him, he would probably take it away from me, despite the fact that I just turned 19. Besides, it's not like I can really use it for anything. Creating the dagger was more like me proving to myself that I can achieve the impossible on my own. _

_Speaking of the dagger, I need to come up with a creative name for it. Right now, as you may have noticed, I call it "The Dagger". Not creative at all. I'm going to have to start creating a list of my ideas for the new name…once I get some._

_Noah texted me earlier telling me that Fiona wants to me up with me at a coffee shop or something at some point before she goes off to college. Frankly, I'm surprised that she is going to college. I'm telling you, the girl was not smart. I'm not just saying that because of my own personal experience. Noah and Richelle have said things too. But, again, I'm going to stop because I probably sound like an ass._

_Anyways, I have no idea whether or not I should go. Noah said that Fiona really wants to talk to me. He even sounded like he wanted me to actually go through with this meeting. That makes me all the more nervous about it. Why would Noah care if I went and had some pastries with my arch-enemy?_

_Only one logical explanation pops into my mind at this point in time…and I don't like what I am thinking…_

_

* * *

_

Alex walked down to the workshop as Tony was practicing the flying mechanism of his suit prototype. She almost laughed as she punched in her code, opened the door, and heard her father reprimanding Dummy.

"He's only trying to help, you know" she said, causing Tony to turn towards her

"Yes, well, he's a little too eager" Tony replied, smiling as he walked up towards his daughter "What are you doing here? I thought you had to go to some coffee shop or something?"

"Trying to avoid that as much as possible" Alex replied "The girl I'm meeting is not my best friend in the whole wide world"

"Then why are you meeting her?" Tony asked as Alex sat at her desk and turned on her computers with a snap of the fingers

"Noah seemed to want me to" Alex replied "But, enough about that, what are you trying to do?"

"Make it fly" Tony replied, walking back towards the training area "I think I almost have it"

Alex sat back and crossed her arms as her father did a countdown and rose into the air. Her lips curled into a smile as Tony flew across the room. Her face cringed when he flew over the cars.

"Dad, watch out!" she exclaimed "My Ferrari is over there!"

"Ok, this is where I don't want to be"** Tony said. He desperately tried to get himself away from the cars as Alex stood and watched, almost in horror. "Could be worse, could be worse. We're fine"**

Alex ducked as some of the papers that Tony had put on various different tables blew across the room. She breathed a sigh of relief as Tony landed safely on the ground and not on any of the Stark family's expensive cars. She shook her head and laughed a little as Tony looked at her.

"Yeah, I can fly"** Tony said

"Just like Peter Pan" Alex replied, clapping a little

"Ha-ha. Very funny" Tony replied, walking over to her "I'd like to see you try"

"Alright, let me into your gear"

"What? Are you crazy?" Tony exclaimed "I'm not letting you fly! You could get hurt"

"I don't know if I like this change in you, Dad" Alex said, putting her hands on her hips "You're very…parental…"

"Yes, well, it was bound to happen at some point" Tony replied, with a shrug

Alex rolled her eyes as she sat back down at her desk and started playing around on her computer. "So, I heard about the board" she said, as Tony began taking his equipment off "That really sucks, Dad."

"I just can't believe that they're doing this just because I'm trying to be a responsible human being"

"Well, it is a pretty big change for you" Alex teased "But, keep this in mind. The weapons manufacturing part of the company was the biggest money maker. Did you expect them not to do something like this?"

"I don't know" Tony replied, as he finished taking all of the gear off "I'm just going to focus on this project"

"I really can't wait to see it when it's all done" Alex said, smiling as she turned away from her computer "I feel so honored to be in on it"

Tony laughed a little. "When are you supposed to meet this girl?"

"2:00" Alex replied, turning back to her computer

"Alex, it's 2:45!"

"Yeah, so?"

"Alex" Tony said, in a fatherly tone "This is rude. It's not good to be 45 minutes late to a meeting. Are you a child?"

"Maybe" Alex replied

"Alexandra, go!" Tony said, pointing to the door "Don't be rude. You're 19, you should know better"

Alex groaned as she shut her computer off. "Fine!" she said "I'll be back as soon as I can"

Tony watched as she left the room and went up the stairs before he rolled his eyes and started cleaning a little.

* * *

"Way to keep me waiting, Stark"

Alex rolled her eyes when she heard Fiona's voice at one of the outside tables at the café she was supposed to meet her at. "I was tied up"

"You could have called"

"I don't have your number"

"Oh, come on" Fiona said "I know that you could have just called Noah and he could let me know"

"What do you want?" Alex demanded, as she sat down and crossed her arms "Want some advice from the college graduate about how to do well? I got one tip for you. Study!"

Fiona stared at Alex for a moment before speaking. "I want to talk to you about something that affects us both"

"What could possibly affect us both?" Alex asked "You're going off to college. I'll probably never see you again"

"It's about Noah"

Alex stiffened as she tried to control her temper. Her suspicions were correct. "You and Noah are a couple now, aren't you?"

Fiona was silent for a moment. "And because of that" she replied, as Alex rolled her eyes and sat forward in her chair "I want us to try and get along"

"Get along?" Alex said "We have never gotten along! What makes you think that we can now?"

"I want to try and do it for Noah"

Alex looked down and clenched her fists under the table. "For Noah" she replied, softly "I will try and get along with you"

Fiona smiled a little, which made Alex slightly surprised. "Thank you, Alex"

"But, this means that you can't be a bitch" Alex said, pointing at her "To me, to Richelle. To anyone" Fiona nodded. Alex looked away for a moment. "It will take me a while to get used to being nice to you" Alex admitted. "But, I give you my word that I will try"

Fiona nodded. Alex stood. "I have to go" she said "I guess I'll…have to…talk to you later"

Fiona nodded again as Alex turned and left. She breathed a sigh of relief as she motioned for the waitress to bring her the check.

* * *

Alex let her anger out once she got back home.

Assuming that Tony was still down in the shop, Alex went into her room, slammed the door, and took her dagger out of its hiding place. Making sure that the electrical element of the dagger was off, Alex began what she called "Target Practice" – throwing her dagger into her wall at the same place every single time. The only annoying part was that she had to keep going over and taking the dagger out of the wall.

"Hurting the house is not going to change anything"

Alex paused and resisted rolling her eyes when she heard Jarvis. "It helps me vent my anger" she replied "Would you rather have me break a window or punch something?"

"Well, punching something would be safer than playing with knives"

Alex threw her dagger into the wall again, this time with more force than before. As she went over to pull it out of the wall, Jarvis spoke again.

"Alexandra, if you wish to keep your invention a secret, I suggest you put it away" he said "Because your father is coming upstairs"

Alex pulled the dagger out of the wall and stuffed it back into it's hiding place before sitting down at her desk and pretending that she was playing on her computer. "Thank you, Jarvis"

It was moments after that the door slowly began to open. Alex pretended not to notice. Tony peeked his head inside. "How did the meeting go?"

"Peachy"

Tony opened the door and walked into the room. "What happened?"

"My suspicions were correct"

"And those suspicions were?"

"Noah and her are an item"

Tony almost chuckled. "I'm sorry?"

"I really shouldn't be this angry" Alex said, turning towards her father "I mean, if she makes Noah happy, by all means, he should go out with her. It's just…this is so unexpected and, quite frankly, random"

"Well, maybe there was a reason that Noah never told you about it" Tony replied "But, come on. Cheer up. It's not going to be that bad"

"You've never met this girl, Dad" Alex replied "She's awful!"

"She can't be awful" Tony replied "That's a bit dramatic don't you think?"

"She's Justin Hammer awful!"

"Ooh!" Tony winced "Now I get what you are saying"

"Exactly"

"Well, let's not think about that now" Tony said "Come on. How about you and me go out for a night on the town?"

"AKA: Dinner and a movie?"

"Best night on the town ever!" Tony replied, with a smile

Alex laughed. "Sounds like a plan"

* * *

_**Wow...sorry for being so late with an update. I've been extremely busy lately. **_

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	11. Take Off!

_Alex's Diary: Entry 11_

_Should I be mad at Noah?_

_Because, I have to admit, I am a little upset that he had FIONA of all people tell me that they were a couple. Noah and I are best friends. Why couldn't he tell me? Because I'd yell? Because I would tell him that it's not a good idea?_

_Ok, I totally see why he wanted Fiona to tell me. _

_I hate the fact that I have to be nice to this girl now! I'm sorry. I know that I sound like such a bitch, but it's true. This sucks. One of my favorite things was always fighting with her. Mainly because I had the better comebacks. Ugh! This new development is just overall annoying._

_Richelle didn't seem surprised when I told her. I have a feeling that she knew what was going on and neglected to tell me. Some friends I have! I'm going to have to have both of them sit down with me and explain to me why I was not informed of this little revelation._

_But, I have to stop harping on that!_

_The dinner and a movie night was actually a lot of fun. Not too many paparazzi tracked Dad and me down. We were actually able to have a quiet dinner all to ourselves without having someone either take our picture or ask us questions. It was a lovely change of pace for us famous people._

_Dad told me that he is planning on taking the suit out for a test flight soon. If only I could be able to see it! I mean, I'll be able to see part of it. But, not the whole thing. It's going to be so awesome to see Dad flying! Just like a superhero out of a comic book!_

_I've been trying to think if there are any events going on. It's almost odd for there not to be a party or benefit of some sort. But, hey. It's nice to have a break from the public life. I'm not ashamed to admit that I like not being in the camera's spotlight. _

_Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we weren't super rich. Would I like it better? That's a question that has been playing around in my mind ever since Dad was kidnapped. I guess , in some respects, I like the thought of just being a normal girl. And, in others, I love being a rich girl. It's complicated. _

_But, I like me just the way I am._

_

* * *

_

Alex knew that Noah wouldn't answer her call the first time she called after the meeting with Fiona. So, the next day, she called three times in a row. Finally, Noah answered.

_"Don't kill me"_

"Kill you?" Alex replied, as she put the phone on speaker and drove down the highway back to the mansion. She had gone out for a ride after failing to get a hold of Noah before. "Despite the fact that my family builds weapons, Noah, I'm not going to kill you"

_"I know you, Alex. You're angry. You have to be"_

"Oh, I am" Alex said "I'm angry at you for not telling me yourself and for having your girlfriend – my archenemy – tell me instead"

_"Alex…"_

"When did it happen?" Alex asked "Because Richelle doesn't seem all that surprised"

_"It happened while your Dad was…kidnapped…"_

Alex froze. "It happened while I was CEO…"

_"That's why I didn't tell you. I knew that you were stressed out over your Dad and Obadiah and running the company…I didn't want to make you more…mad…"_

Alex was silent for a moment. "Well, thank you for telling me why you never told me" she replied, softly. "I will try as hard as possible to get along with her"

_"Thanks, Alex. You up for pizza and a movie tomorrow night?"_

"Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel" Alex replied. She hung up the phone and sighed as she continued to drive.

Now, she understood why Noah didn't tell her. She had been stressed out a lot lately, because of what had happened to Tony. And, even though he was now dating her mortal enemy, Alex was happy that Noah had waited until Tony was back and everything was virtually back to normal before dropping this bomb on her.

* * *

"So, did he call back?"

Alex laughed a little as she walked into the mansion and found Pepper in the kitchen, making herself a sandwich. "No, but he did answer when I called for the fourth time"

Pepper laughed a little. "And?"

"I guess he got together with Fiona when Dad was missing" Alex replied, sitting on one of the bar stools as she watched Pepper make her sandwich. "He didn't want to tell me then because so much was going on and he didn't want me to get too stressed out and angry"

"Well, you have to give him credit for not pushing you over the edge" Pepper said, as she licked some mustard off of her thumb

"Yeah, I thanked him for not telling me when all that stuff was going on" Alex replied, through a sigh "But, I'm still not happy about it"

"There has got to be something that you two have in common" Pepper said "Something that will allow you two to get along a little easier"

"And, I would like to know what that is" Alex replied "I'm telling you, Pepper. This girl hates me! She absolutely hates me! And, I have no idea what I could have possibly done to her. I mean, she can't be jealous of me because she seems to have just as much money as I have. I really don't get it"

"So, investigate" Pepper replied "Find out the reason why she doesn't seem to like you"

Alex's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Are you actually telling me to look into Fiona's background?"

Pepper shrugged as she picked up her plate and walked out of the kitchen. Alex watched her with a confused look spread across her face. It took her a minute to realize what Pepper was allowing her to do.

"Pepper!" she called after her "Pepper, are you serious right now or is this just a test to see if I would go as far as to check up on Noah's girlfriend?"

Getting no response from the woman she considered a mother, Alex stared in shock at the ground. "I can't believe this" she said, softly "Pepper. Pepper Potts just suggested I look into someone's background" Alex stood and walked towards the stairs. "Is the world coming to an end?"

Alex smiled a little when she heard Pepper's faint chuckles coming from the living room, shook her head a little, and then headed up to her room.

* * *

Alex was in her room, reading a book when her phone began to ring. She had decided to wait a little while before totally running a background check on Fiona. Her first thought was that it was Noah who was calling, checking to make sure that it was still ok for him to come over. But, instead, it was Tony.

"Dad, you seriously just called me right now?" she asked "Aren't you just down in the basement?"

_"Well, forgive me for wondering if you wanted to see the suit's first prototype."_

"I'll be right down"

Alex hung up the phone and almost flew down the stairs to the workshop. She froze when she saw Tony in the silver suit. "Dad…" she said "This looks so freaking cool!"

Tony smiled. "I know, right?" he replied "I'm taking it for a test run"

"Really?" Alex exclaimed

"Sir, there are still a number of-"**

"Jarvis, sometimes you have to run before you can walk"**

A confused look spread across Alex's face as she considered Tony's comment. Did that even make any sense? She looked back up at her father as he put his face plate down over his face. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"That's Noah" Alex said "I'm sure Pepper will let him in. Let me see you take off"

Tony chuckled. Alex crossed her arms and smiled as Tony lifted off the ground and zoomed out of the workshop.

"Good luck, Dad!" she yelled after him. She chuckled as she turned and headed back upstairs. "That's just way too cool for words"

* * *

_**Please don't hate me too much for not updating in a while. haha! School has gotten a little hectic and I am working on other stories, one of them being an idea for a story for "The Dark Knight". But, don't worry, I haven't forgotten Alex! :)**_

_**I hope that you like this chapter!**_

_**Please Read and Review!**_


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